An interview with the last Kalamazoo Gal - NMC

[MikeEdgerton]

Nice interview. You find out that the mystical Gibson factory was just your everyday sweatshop

https://guitar.com/features/gibson-kalamazoo/

[slimt]

JT has alot of incredible guitars. His collection is outstanding. And his knowledge is so vast.

[j. condino]

No secrets about the special room filled with unicorns and fairy dust next to Lloyd Loar's workbench???

[MikeEdgerton]

If Monroe had never bought that mandolin in the barber shop window would anyone care about the unicorns and fairy dust or Loar's workbench? There's a question.

[Timbofood]

What a sweetheart! I bet she was full of “vim and vigor” as they used to say.
Yep, it was a factory. My wife used to work on the line at Upjohn (night shift) and said the same thing, days were comparatively awful, that was twenty years ago.
Now, since the place is Pfizer, it’s no where near as pleasant a work environment.

[grassrootphilosopher]

If Monroe had never bought that mandolin in the barber shop window would anyone care about the unicorns and fairy dust or Loar's workbench? There's a question.

He, he, he...

No. Nobody would care about the mandolin department.

And hadn´t Rhubarb Red come up with a nice electric guitar after having played a Super 400, nobody would discuss goldtops and nobursts and whatnots Les Pauls neither.

But what I know is that my Southerner Jumbo is a machine of magic. And that´s a fact. So some Kalamazoo Girls must have given it some love when putting it together. Bless their hearts.

[Hendrik Ahrend]

If Monroe had never bought that mandolin in the barber shop window would anyone care about the unicorns and fairy dust or Loar's workbench? There's a question.

Are there also sour grapes involved in the story?

[John Thomas]

Thanks, folks!

It was a privilege to conduct that interview (Guitar wisely kept me off camera). Irene turned 98 in January. What a treasure!

Here's another video that ran with the same story, this one of me talking about my went-to-WWII SJ:

[MikeEdgerton]

Was there a second video? That video appears to be the same video in the article above.

[John Thomas]

Was there a second video? That video appears to be the same video in the article above.

Ah, my bad. Wrong link. Here is the correct video.

[MikeEdgerton]

Great, thanks.

[MikeEdgerton]

We've had threads about John's book in the past but for those that might not know about it take a look at here.

[John Thomas]

We've had threads about John's book in the past but for those that might not know about it take a look at here.

Thank you!