Conclusion

        The rare Schoenberg Soloist that appears nowadays on the market gets snapped up in short order.  Dealer George Gruhn, of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, states, "We get very few of these guitars, which is no surprise since not many were made.  They are good movers".  As investments, the Schoenbergs clearly hold their own against the finest vintage pieces.  Fifteen years after they were first made, Schoenberg Soloists were selling for twice what they originally cost new.  Stan Werbin, founder and owner of Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan, owns one, as do guitarists Rory Block, Paul Asbell, and Alec Stone Sweet among others.

Alec Stone Sweet playing his Soloist.

        All those involved in the Schoenberg Soloist project have prospered since then.  Presently Eric Schoenberg owns and operates Schoenberg Guitars, a vintage guitar shop in Tiburon, California, and occasionally teaches and performs solo tours.  In addition, he continues to offer his own line of entirely hand-made Schoenberg guitars, unrelated to Martin.  (At first these were made by Julius Borges and his staff from 1996-1999 and, most recently, by independent luthiers Bruce Sexauer and Robert Anderson).  Dana Bourgeois continues to build guitars under the Bourgeois name, and his instruments enjoy wide critical acclaim.  And T. J. Thompson is a renowned vintage guitar restoration expert who also builds custom 'one-offs' under the Thompson name.

Dana, Eric, and TJ in 2016

        Finally, the impact of the Schoenberg Soloists on the Martin Guitar Company (and, by their influence, on other makers such as Collings and Santa Cruz) cannot be underestimated.  Dick Boak himself put it best when he said, "Martin owes a great thanks to Eric Schoenberg for almost single-handedly bringing back the OM.  We owe to the Schoenberg project the cutaway shape (which is now used on several Martin models), as well as the fact that Eric raised everyone's understanding of the 'value' of Martin's old guitars, which eventually became instrumental in inspiring our Golden Era and Vintage Series.  By the way, I love the Soloists. I own one!".

Eric Schoenberg jamming on a Soloist with Hot Tuna.