Cortley Guitars - Rick Clymer

Cortley Guitars Website has been contacted via email by Rick Clymer. Rick has researched the Cortley Guitar Story in depth and I wish to share with everyone the information he shared with me. Below are copies of his emails that have a wealth of information that I know will be of Interest to all of us.
Thanks Rick for this information!

Hey John,
    I have a Cortley CF-30 that I have had about a year now. I tracked it down after deciding to start trying to play again after many years. My dad gave me his old Kent acoustic (another story there) and sparked my interest again. I had a Cortley Dread Dove copy I bought new in the early 80's from Southland Music (I had a cousin that worked there) in Greensboro, NC and I let it slip out of my fingers. I have researched the subject thoroughly and have been working on setting up a website. I just can't seem to find the time. My best resource is the 1978 Harris-Fandel (Southland Music) counter catalog that has all the Cortley line of guitars and accessories. I snagged it on eBay. I also talked with former sales managers from Southland and even interviewed Jack Westheimer by telephone. It seems Cortley was one of many of what Westheimer calls a "Stencil brand" that the Westheimer Corp. was importing in the later 60's and 70's. He did not remember Cortley in particular, but the former sales manager at Southland Music in Greensboro, NC stated they purchased through Westheimer. The death of Southland Music (and their associates Harris-Fandel and Maxwell-Meyers) came after a buyout, and the new owners didn't want to sell accessories anymore. Within a year after the buyout they declared bankruptcy.
   The CF-30 features close-grained, solid spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, (top, back and sides are book matched), rosewood fingerboard and bridge, and MOP inlays. This guitar retailed for $239.95 in 1978, and is worth much more than that to me.
    Jack Westheimer advised if you are looking for a future collectors item go with Cortez. But based on price/quality ratio I'll stick with my Cortley. It sounds great although I still have a lot of learning to do, LOL. I hope this info is of interest, I have much more info but I don't know when I'll ever get time to put it on the web.
Take care and may your fingers never be sore.  Rick Clymer

Second Email...

Hey John,
    Glad you enjoyed my email. I'll get together some info, maybe scan some things (like the full line of 1978 Cortleys), and get something organized. I feel it may be best if I just create a CD and mail it to you. I need to get all my info archived anyway.
   The Westheimer Corp. is still around and they have a website, that's how I tracked down Jack Westheimer. He was just a phone call away 1-xxx-xxx-xxxx ext xxx and he seemed delighted I had tracked him down and wanted to talk about guitars. Same thing goes with the former managers from Southland Musical, Vance Marshall and Ed Rider.  I searched using Southland Musical as a search term and looked through all the results, and found these guys. I'll try to attach a photo of my CF30 (this was the photo from Gary's Guitars before I bought it). I am still in the stone age with dial-up and that is one of the other reasons I haven't posted a website, it would take days of uploading, HaHa.
    You are right about lawsuits, there was no mass court action against the "copy-cats". There was from what I read one lawsuit or some kind of legal action against Ibanez for a particular headstock, that didn't even get to court. If you go to the US Patent and Trademark website you can search the brand name Cortley, Cort, Cortez and Kent and see some interesting info about the dates those brands were marketed.
    The main reason for the demise of Cortley was the fact that On-Site Energy bought out the 3 main distributors that sold Cortley, Southland Musical Merchandising Corp, Maxwell-Meyers and Harris-Fandel. Then On-Site wanted to quit selling accessories and have their guitars (Cortley, Kent) made in cheaper facilities. They felt they could make more money, when actually the accessories were the mainstay. That info came from Vance Marshall and Ed Rider, who said within a year of the buyout the companies were bankrupt. I went to the Guilford County, NC register of deeds website and found the deeds and tax records that also back up the dates that Southland was in operation.
    Anyway I can see we are going to have quite a few emails back and forth, at least I hope so. Let me know if my CF30 pic comes through.
Best regards – Rick