Opinions on "The"

[toabetterworld]

Hi all,

Is putting "The" on your headstock classic or conceited?
I would love to hear your opinions.

How many out there put "The" on their headstocks? If so why?

Thanks,
Michael

[Dan Margolis]

Do it. Just don't do it in conversations when referring to yourself. "The Dan".

[DougC]

I think Gibson went through a period where they wanted more status. It's probably a social trend back then. Nowadays, it seems conceited.
I wonder at the naming of instruments. Just saw a guitar with the makers FIRST and last name on the headstock. Personally, I prefer naming the instrument after a little girl as the MayFlower mandolins did. The little girl was the maker's daughter and their name was Fowler, similar enough to Flower. A clever and charming idea.

[AlanN]

Isn't there a The Loar floating around

[crazymandolinist]

Quite a few actually.

[Spruce]

[Dave Cohen]

It has always been my opinion that the "The" with an upper case T is completely pretentious. Please note that I said 'opinion'. Opinions are like bellybuttons; everyone has at least one, in some form or another.

I have always admired Rolfe Gerhardt for his complete lack of pretense. He named his mandolins after a mythical creature, instead of after himself. Inlays a phoenix on the headstock instead of a name in script. I asked him once how he came up with the name. He humbly replied that it was happenstance, after a day or so visiting the library. Of course, the Phoenix name/logo does have a connection for him. Phoenix mandolins was a new venture, starting after he had gotten out of the lutherie business for a while and had sold his original "Unicorn" name to another luthier. So it was logical that "Phoenix" would rise out of the ashes of "Unicorn". Anyway, Rolfe's humility is completely antithetical to someone like Bob Taylor, who calls his products "Taylors" and doesn't even bother to include the "guitar".

http://www.Cohenmando.com

[Tavy]

Let's not forget the '80 indie band "The The" - I never could get to grips with that name.

[sunburst]

I never understood "The" on the old Gibsons. It doesn't look pretentious, or conceited to me, it just looks confusing. Why "The"?
When I see "The" on an instrument other than a "The Gibson", it looks like someone is imitating "The Gibson".
No, I don't put "The" on my pegheads. It just seems superfluous, imitative, and unnecessary.

[Charley wild]

I agree with Dave. It seems pretentious. I could never figure it, really. I can deal with it on Gibsons, I guess, as it seems kind of quaint. On others I think it takes away from the instrument. it. It seems as mentioned, imitative. "The Loar" is the biggest culprit. It seems kind of silly. If I bought one I'd have to break the scroll knob off and gouge out the inlay! LOL

[MikeEdgerton]

Personally, I dig the concept of "The Gibson". I see it as nothing more than the marketing that was in play at the time, and honestly, it was used across many business lines, it wasn't unique to Gibson or to musical instruments. Not unlike the current advertising "green products" mantra that shows up on everything or "Low Fat" or the dozens of other advertising gems that have popped up over the years. When it went out of vogue Gibson dropped "The" from the instruments and only reintroduced it as a nod to the popularity of the Loar era mandolins.

[JEStanek]

It is The Traditional way to do it. If you're out to build an instrument with that sound then maybe you could include the The. If it doesn't feel like you don't do it. None of my Instruments have a The on them. Only one has more than one letter on the headstock. Several don't have any words or letters.

Jamie

[Gail Hester]

When I was contemplating using "The" before my name Roger Siminoff explained to me the history of using "The" on instruments. While his explaination will have to wait until he gets back from IBMA, as I understand it it has something to do with Antonio Stradivari and Stradivarius meaning/translating to "of The man" or "the work of The man". Since this will not fit on a headstock it was shortened or translated into "The" and the name of the builder. While it may seem pretentious or conceited I think that view is a misunderstanding of its origin/history in instrument making.

[sunburst]

...If you're out to build an instrument with that sound then maybe you could include the The...

Oh yeah, I didn't even think about the sound! I'll have to try a "The" and see how it sounds!

[Gail Hester]

It's true John. As soon as I started putting "The" on my mandolins they started sounding just like old Gibson's.

[MikeEdgerton]

There you go, the reason to put "The" on your products.

[David Newton]

Well, I am "one and only" so why am I not "The Dave"?
No, really, take my wife, please.
On a more serious note, we who build look at each other and say "how pretentious", but I think that customers love this stuff. Back when I put nothing up there, customers always would ask for my name or something in pearl.

[sunburst]

Yep, that's how my name got there. I started out with no logo, but when I got my first actual order, one of the things the customer asked for was my name inlaid in the peghead. If it hadn't been for that, I think I would have chosen a business name, something like what Rolfe did, but either way I never understood "The" until now, and now that I know it's all about sound, well...

[Jim Garber]

When I was contemplating using "The" before my name Roger Siminoff explained to me the history of using "The" on instruments. While his explaination will have to wait until he gets back from IBMA, as I understand it it has something to do with Antonio Stradivari and Stradivarius meaning/translating to "of The man" or "the work of The man". Since this will not fit on a headstock it was shortened or translated into "The" and the name of the builder. While it may seem pretentious or conceited I think that view is a misunderstanding of its origin/history in instrument making.

I read this about three or four times... and ... huh?? Stradivari never put his name on his headstock and never worried about finding the room to do so. AFAIK Stradivarius is a Latinization of his name which, I suppose, was the pretentiousness of that time. I don't think it means "of The Stradivari".

[Gail Hester]

Jim, maybe I didn't explain it well but it's what I remembered from what Roger said. It is the "us" as I understand that translates from Latin somehow to "of The man" or "the work of The man" that had something to do with Orville's use of "The". Of course there's no name on the headstock of a Stradivarius My point was to try to pass on that according to Roger there was some historical connection to the use of "The" by Orville and others and that it was not just used to be pretentious, or conceited.

[JEStanek]

... or depending upon your desired sound, a reason not to add the The. I don't get rattlesnake rattles or mojo (other than describing an old wood/finish odor). If it were up to me, I would say pop a chili pepper and a bay leaf in the sound holes for spice and good seasoning instead.

Jamie

PS. What I poorly was trying to convey, is if you're attempting to replicate that traditional Gibson sound, why not include the traditional Gibson The. However, many folks feel that depending upon the name on the headstock (with or without the The the sound is better. Who knows!

[Spruce]

Stradivari never put his name on his headstock....

Uhhh....

[journeybear]

I always thought Gibson's use of "The" wasn't conceited as much as it was a conceit - a way of saying it was "the authentic Gibson, accept no substitutes or lesser quality instrument." I don't know whether back then Gibson was regarded with the same reverence it is now, whether it was considered the best, the standard by which all others are measured, the way Martin guitars are. Or if the company used this as a ploy to get people to believe that.

But I do wish my 1917 A had that - the headstock looks pretty darn plain without it. Even just "Gibson" would be fine, as on my 1935 A-00 and ~1950 EM-150. I have no problem with the "The Gibson" on my 1916 H-2, nor did I on my 1966 F-12. And if The The had ever gone into luthiery, I would hope they would have had the noive to put "The The The" on their headstocks.

PS: Pretty sure -us is just a Latin masculine suffix, as in Claudius, Julius, Augustus, Romulus, Remus, etc.

[Spruce]

I always thought Gibsons use of "The" wasnt conceited as much as it was a conceit - a way of saying it was the authentic Gibson, accept no substitutes or lesser quality instrument.

I'm doing a copy of the Loar A5 as we speak....

I think I'll go with "The The Gibson" in the usual spot....

[MikeEdgerton]

I've always wondered why somebody making a copy didn't do a "Not Gibson" on the headstock.