Restoration

 

 

Pat Enright is holding Jimmie Rodger's famous Weyman guitar, which was used by Clint Black during the Country Music Hall of Fame's anniversary celebration. Photo: Charmaine Lanham

 

 

Vintage Instrument Restoration

Vintage guitars, banjos and mandolins are becoming more rare and valuable with each passing year. Many of these classics are fragile with age and cannot take the rigors of constant use.

Through the years, some of the world’s most sought-after instruments have come through our studio for restoration — pre-War Martin flat tops, Gibson Lloyd Loar F-5’s and recently, the super-rare 1902 10-string Martin harp guitar!

Pictured below, there were only two of this model made at the turn of the century. This beauty has 4 sub-bass strings and ten tuners on a single peghead — it’s a marvelous instrument, but required extensive rehabilitation to make playable for the collector who purchased it. Below is a photo of this rare bird after months of meticulous work.

 

C.F.Martin 10 string Harp Guitar made in 1902.

The rod supporting the expanded headstock is turned ebony. The guitar was in very bad shape when it came to my shop and needed a total re-build. The body is a standard 000-12 fret with no variance except the bridge and headstock. I had a custom case built for it and it sounded good when finished.

I’ve worked on other historically important instruments, including Jimmie Rodgers’ rare Gibson HG-24. Below is the back of the guitar, which the Singing Brakeman would flip up and show the audience at the end of his shows.

The back of Jimmie Rodger's guitar from the Roy Acuff museum.

 

Here is a picture of me, my granddaughter Katie and her dad, Steve Huber. Steve is holding the D-28 that Lester Flatt used for so many years. Marty Stuart has owned the guitar for years and is donating it to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He asked me to set it up for one more performance at the handing-over ceremony.

 

Marty, Katie, Steve and Lester