Other Guitar Resources

A Tribute to Mel Bay

from Rick Pimentel
"Mel Bay was a friend of my father, Lorenzo Pimentel. Mel loved playing Pimentel guitars. In the photo, he is holding a masterpiece custom built for Mel Bay by Lorenzo Pimentel. Mel asked my father to build him a Jazz Classical guitar with a cutaway. The guitar has a trimmer neck that allows jazz players to make those major chords they love to play easier than on a wide necked Classical guitar. Today Mel's son Bill continues to play and perform on Pimentel guitars, which are featured on many of their music book covers."

The Mel Bay Web Site

About Melbourne E. Bay 1913 - 1997
"Mel Bay, founder and first president of Mel Bay Publications, Inc., died at age 84 on May 14, 1997. Mel Bay was born in the Missouri town of Bunder and raised in DeSoto, where as a teenager, he taught himself how to play the guitar and performed regularly with various Ozark region bands. His plans to study engineering were brought to halt by the Depression.

Upon moving to St. Louis, Mel took up the tenor banjo and became a highly sought after musician and teacher. He began writing guitar methods in 1947. His method books grew in popularity worldwide and laid the foundation for most of today's guitar pedagogy. Guitar Player magazine referred to him as 'the George Washington of the guitar.' It is difficult to find a guitarist worldwide, who has not, at some point, studied on of Mel's method books. Sales of his Modern Guitar Method series are estimated to be well in excess of 20 million copies. ... "

More bio and photos available on the Mel Bay Web Site.