Sponsors

"Scholarships are made possible by the generosity of our sponsors." That single line explains why this page existed. The seminar ran a scholarship fund so that people who could not meet the full cost could still attend, and the fund was underwritten by makers and shops in the acoustic trade. The descriptions below are the ones the site published.

John Pearse Strings

"English studio musician John Pearse first began researching into music string manufacture in the mid-sixties. The first person, ever, to teach guitar on television — his BBC lessons have been seen in six countries while his PBS series, String Along, was shown in most US television markets whilst becoming perhaps the best selling video guitar course both nationally and internationally." The string company that carries his name continues to trade.

National Reso-phonic Guitars

"These instruments were first created in the era of the Hawaiian and Jazz Bands, prior to electrical amplification. All sorts of musicians — Hawaiian, jazz and blues — wanted louder guitars: to be able to be heard alongside horns; to project out into music halls or smoky night clubs; or to be the loudest guitar on the street corner. In response to this need, the mechanically amplified resonator guitar was created."

That paragraph is the reason the resonator sits at the centre of this repertoire, and it explains a good deal about how the instrument is played. A guitar designed to be heard over a horn section rewards attack. National Reso-phonic still builds instruments in that tradition.

Santa Cruz Guitar Company

"Richard Hoover began building guitars and carved-top mandolins in 1972. By 1976 his focus was on the modern steel string guitar. The task of becoming a master at all aspects of guitar making is a lifelong pursuit, and Richard has patiently refined his craftsmanship and knowledge as his company has grown. It was and is Richard's intent to translate his skills and sensitivities as an individual builder to an exceptional team of craftspeople, each of whom could become an expert in their specialty."

The company designed an instrument specifically for the seminar's scholarship fund in 2003.

Dusty Strings

"Dusty Strings was founded in 1979 by Ray and Sue Mooers out of a fascination for the magic of the hammered dulcimer and a deep love of fine woodworking. Over the years, Ray and Sue have been joined by numerous talented craftspeople who have helped the business grow from a basement venture into a respected source of high-quality instruments." The Seattle acoustic music shop supported the Washington sessions in particular.

Also listed

The sponsors strip on later pages also carried Highlander Pickups and Acoustic Guitar magazine.

The scholarship fund

The fund was not a token. In 2003 two instruments were donated to support it — a National Reso-phonic Style O Deluxe with a sand-etched Hawaiian scene, engraved borders and a black walnut neck, and a guitar that Richard Hoover designed for the seminar — and the seminar recorded that one hundred per cent of the proceeds went directly to students in need of financial assistance.

Everything about that arrangement has long since concluded; it is recorded here as history, not as an offer, and no mechanism for contributing exists or is described on this site. What it usefully shows is how a residential workshop of this kind actually stayed accessible: not by lowering its costs, which were fixed by the universities it hired, but by finding people in the trade willing to underwrite a few places.

A note on these names

Every company above is named as the seminar's own pages named it, in the past tense, to record a historical association. None of these businesses is connected with this archive, none has endorsed it, and nothing on this site is offered for sale. Their entries in the seminar's own links page are preserved separately.