Guitar, Six String - Ed Stilley

 
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Guitar, Six String - Ed Stilley
Guitar, Six String - Ed Stilley
Guitar, Six String - Ed Stilley
Guitar, Six String - Ed Stilley

Guitar, Six String - Ed Stilley

Object numberOSHTL2016.031.01
OriginHogscald Hollow, Arkansas
MediumWood, Metal, Bone, Paint
Dimensions40 × 12 1/4 × 3 in. (101.6 × 31.1 × 7.6 cm)
Credit LineOn loan from Samuel Robinson
Terms
    DescriptionThis Stilley guitar was constructed with an open head with the tuning pegs turned downward. There are springs inside the guitar and a saw blade. There is also a black strap connected to the bridge and saddle which continues down the lower bout and onto the back and side, it is held together with two screws. The phrase, "True Faith, True Light. Have Faith in God." is carved into the body of the guitar and is white in color.

    This guitar belongs to Ed's nephew, Samuel Robinson. He made this guitar during his Late Period of construction, also known as the "Red Period."

    Ed Stilley was born in 1930 in Hogscald Hollow, Arkansas and grew up in a religious household. He married Eliza Miller in 1959, and they had five children. Ed worked as a farmer at his Ozark homestead to support his family and continued his preaching. In 1979, Ed began making musical instruments to give to children. With no formal training Ed made his instruments with simple hand tools, wood scraps, and items such as pot lids, springs, and saw blades. Over the course of twenty-five years Ed has made two-hundred one-of-a-kind instruments including guitars, fiddles, dulcimers, and banjos.
    Status
    Not on view