Tony Zemaitis
Tony Zemaitis | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 17 August 2002 | (aged 67)
Occupation | Guitar maker |
Children | Tony Zemaitis, Jr. |
Tony Zemaitis (1935 – 17 August 2002) was a British luthier from London. He is mostly known for his "metal top" electric guitars,[1][2] which were used by some notable rock musicians.
Under the leadership of his son Tony Zemaitis, Jr., Zemaitis Guitars company continued this guitar-making style after the luthier's death in 2002.
Early years
Zemaitis (birth name Antanas Kazimeras Žemaitis) was born 1935 in
1970s: fame
In 1970 Zemaitis started experimenting with placing a metal shield on the top of the guitar body to eliminate microphonic noise through the guitars' pickups. His first metal-top guitar prototype was purchased by
From the mid-70s, Zemaitis started decorating the tops of his guitars, other than the metal-tops, with elaborate pearl inlay, using figures such as dragons and skulls and bones, or with a mosaic-style inlay. These Zemaitis guitars command the highest second-hand prices.[citation needed]
1980s
In the 1980s Zemaitis launched a "student model" guitar that could be upgraded when the player could afford it, but this proved to be too popular and time-consuming. This model threatened to overshadow all other guitar production and was discontinued. By the 1980s Zemaitis was taking more orders for guitars than he could produce and he was having to turn down work.[citation needed]
1990s
In the 1990s, Zemaitis guitars became very collectable and forgeries began to appear. These forgeries in both new and second hand guise, while looking genuine, used poorer-quality materials and did not sound like a genuine Zemaitis. During his 39 years of production, Zemaitis had a policy of never making two guitars the same, and he limited himself to making only ten guitars a year to ensure the quality of each instrument.[citation needed]
2000s
Zemaitis retired in 2000 and died two years later. His guitar-making style was carried on by Zemaitis Guitars of Tokyo, Japan. Led by his son, Tony Zemaitis Jr., the company continued to employ Danny O'Brien as an engraver.[citation needed]
In 2007, American economist-turned-fraudster Al Parish bought an acoustic guitar made by Zemaitis and owned by George Harrison for $150,000.[4]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-1884883217. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ISBN 0896892239. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ David Gilmour's legendary 'Black Strat' comes to auction, Christie's, 29 January 2019, retrieved 29 January 2019
- ^ "'Hey Joe', was that guitar tied to fraud case played by Jim". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. 18 June 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2015.