Johnny Cash

This Martin OOO-28 belonged to Johnny Cash and was a favorite of his wife June. As a gift to his wife he asked me to inlay abalone shell all around the top, rosette and the fingerboard.

The finished work.

 

 

John Cash's signature.

The Landfill Guitar

The first day - Traction

 

This guitar has been PLAYED

 
 

I glued her front bracing back in place.

Guitar In Traction

 

Braces being carved

This guitar came to our Byrdstown music store on trade. The older gentleman who brought it in had found it in a landfill just as it was about to be pushed over with a load of dirt. He stopped the bulldozer driver and took the old guitar home.

 

I traded him a new foreign-made guitar for the old Martin and when we looked inside we found that it was a 1954 0-18. The guitar was in terrible shape from years of playing and abuse. Being left out in the rain and sunshine had taken a toll. I am always amazed at how much abuse these old Martins can withstand and still come back to life.

As I take it apart and restore the individual components I am struck with an admiration for the craftsmen who built these instruments. After removing the back I was able to repair all the top cracks and re-glue the bracing. The back had many cracks and needed to be re-braced to get it back to its original shape.

 

Using some old Sitka spruce I replaced the back braces.

 

 

Closing side cracks.

 

Body repairs done and ready for the back.

Jimmie Rodgers’ Special

We work with the curator at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum here in Nashville from time to time. What a privilege it was to have been asked to recondition one of the the most famous guitars in the country: Jimmie Rodgers’ 1928 Weymenn guitar. 

Pat Enright, lead singer and guitarist with the Nashville Bluegrass Band, came by just as the guitar was headed back to the vault. Photo: Charmaine Lanham

In 1929, Rodgers made a short film called “The Singing Brakeman”; his career was already in high gear. He began touring the country on major vaudeville shows and became the first country artist to endorse an instrument, the Weymann “Jimmie Rodgers Special.” Though it was not the guitar used in the film, the Weymann was featured in Rodgers live performances until his death in 1933.

The guitar belongs to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and has been on display there for many years. When they reached their 25th Anniversary of operation, they asked Clint Black to play a single song on it during their celebration that was televised from the Grand Ole Opry House. We were asked to check the guitar over and get it in playing condition; what an honor it was to just hold it. 

This guitar was reported to have been stolen at one time. I don’t know the story, but I bet someone out there does….

GREAT ARTICLE: The most valuable guitars in America

GREAT ARTICLE: Jimmie Rodgers

Tom Van Hoose

I restored a Gibson Super 400 arch top guitar for Tom Van Hoose back in the 1980’s. He has published a book about the history of the Super 400 model and it includes a chapter on the 1939 model that I rebuilt.

The guitar was a complete wreck and had to totally disassembled. When the work was finished the guitar looked and sounded great. Tom said it was one of his favorites.

 

http://www.vanhoosevintage.com

 

Ernest Tubb’s Guitar

Photo, story, etc.

Country Music Hall of Fame

Curatory. Photo, story, etc.