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Gruhn Guitars: A Look Inside the Vault A rare glimpse of some rare vintage instruments at Nashville's Gruhn Guitars. From "Handmade Music" episode DHMM-306

George Gruhn with a 1929 Gibson HG-24. This extremely rare instrument, now beautifully restored, was literally reassembled from broken pieces.

Guitar enthusiasts liken Gruhn Guitars to Mecca, and the clientele that trades there, or brings their instruments in for service, includes some pretty recognizable names.

"George Gruhn is one of the founding fathers of the industry, and he's been doing this since the 1960s," says shop foreman Sam Calveard. "This is one of the very best known stores in the world for vintage guitars."

Gruhn's customers have included the likes of Duane Allman, Mark Knopfler, Robert Plant and Eric Clapton. In fact, Clapton's famous Stratocaster known as "Blackie" was purchased at Gruhn's.

Famous or not, real guitar enthusiasts of alls stripes are drawn to this place as if by magnetism, and it's the instruments that are the reason. George Gruhn offers us a look "inside the vault" at a few of the more noteworthy vintage instruments in his collection.

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A Piece of History: The 1833 Martin

Gruhn begins showcasing some of his most highly prized guitars with one of the oldest Martins known to exist. Originally based in New York City, C.F. Martin began making guitars in 1833. This one was built by Martin in that original shop sometime before the Martin factory was relocated to Nazareth, Pennsylvania in 1839.

This model features a solid ivory fingerboard, ivory bridge, alternating abalone and pearl inlays, and herringbone-pattern wood inlays on the sides and back. The peg head has the six tuners on the same side, and the neck is "bolt-on" so that it could be detached or have the neck pitch angle changed. That latter feature is available on some modern guitars, and is lauded as "innovative"--even though Martin was doing the same thing more than a century ago.

This is a presentation-grade example of this prototypical model, and is a truly historic piece.

This guitar, one of the oldest known Martins, and was built by C.F. Martin in 1833.

Among its distinctive features are a solid ivory fingerboard and beautiful inlay detail.

The Banjoist's Dream

The 1939 Gibson Master Tone PB7 is a "top tension banjo"--with the original flathead tone-ring that enables it to be tightened and tuned from the top rather than having to take the resonator off the back.

This is a very collectible and valuable banjo and is highly sought-after by bluegrass musicians. The original PB7 is is a four-string plectrum model. Bluegrass musicians, in fact, typically play the five-string banjo. However, this one can be converted easily to a five-string version simply by swapping out the neck.

The pre-WWII flathead model, with the one-piece flange, is considered by many musicians to be the finest bluegrass banjo ever made. This one has an estimated value around $60,000.

The 1939 Gibson Master Tone PB7 banjo is built so that the neck can easily be swapped out.

As such this traditional 4-string banjo can, at the preference of the musician, quickly be turned into a 5-string bluegrass model.

The White Bird

A 1959 Gretsch White Falcon is a highly sought-after instrument. Referred to as the "holy grail" of the Gretsch line, it's a guitar that's had plenty of influence over rock's evolution through the years.

According to Gruhn staffer Rick Wilson, Neil Young and Stephen Stills have both played this guitar. "If you're a rock star," says Wilson, "you've got a Gretsch in the collection -- especially a White Falcon."

This one will require some repair and restoration work--including a neck reset, fret work, binding replacement, rewinding of the pickup, finish work and color matching. The gold sparkle binding on the edges is the same binding that Gretsch used on its drums in that era. On this one, the binding has begun to delaminate, so finish work will be required there as well.

Rick Wilson holds a 1959 Gretsch White Falcon.

The legendary White Falcon is a favorite among rock musicians.

	Were it not for some heroic efforts by George Gruhn and his dedicated repair staff. . .
	. . .this beautifully restored Gibson might easily have gone into the trash bin.
	George Gruhn began collecting and selling guitars in the 1960s. One of his earliest customers was Duane Allman.

Like the Phoenix From the Ashes

One particular guitar housed in Gruhn's collection--a Gibson HG-24--represents an almost miraculous guitar repair. This one bears an 1929 serial number--which predates anything in Gibson's catalog for this particular style--a 14-fret drednought guitar. As such, this particular piece is especially rare.

Perhaps even more rare is the manner in which this guitar was brought back to life. The rare Gibson was actually delivered to Gruhn's shop in a paper bag, and was literally just a bunch of broken pieces. There were more than twenty cracks in the top, and what remained of the body was missing sizeable pieces of wood from both the back and sides.

The repair, which involved radical reassembly and the grafting of wood, was done so expertly that it's now nearly impossible to detect any damage.

"The point is," says George Gruhn, "it's possible to do repairs that are barely short of magical . . . if you have the skill, and are willing to take the time and trouble to do it."

RESOURCES :

Gruhn Guitars
Nashville, Tennessee
www.gruhn.com

GUESTS :

George Gruhn
Proprietor, Gruhn Guitars
Nashville, Tenn.
www.gruhn.com