This guitar has an unusually rich and significant
musical history. You heard it on Hank Williamsā
āIām So Lonesome I Could Cry,ā āLovesick
Blues,ā and āCold, Cold Heart.ā It was used
to record āBlue Eyes Crying in the Rain,ā one
of Chet Atkinsā earliest recordings for Bullet
Records. And it was featured all over Patsy
Clineās debut album, Patsy Cline. It even
toured the Pacific with Frank Tennilleāyes,
that Tennilleās fatherāand Bob Crosbyās band
during WWII. The battered and bruised guitar
showcased here is a 1938 Gibson L-5 used
extensively by Nashville session and radio guitarist
Jack Shook.
Shook was a pioneer of the Nashville session scene. He was one of the first to make playing the guitar in the studioāon both radio and record datesāa full-time and decent paying job. Besides having his mainstay gig as WSMās acoustic guitaristāwhich included playing on the Grand Ole Opry weekly programāfor 45 years, Shook used his L-5 in his singing group the Missouri Mountaineers, on the Teddy Bart Noon Show and countless other country recordings and radio programs. In addition to the aforementioned legends Shook worked with in the studio, he also recorded with Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Hank Snow, Eddy Arnold, and Ray Price.
Shookās L-5 has a carved spruce top complete with bound f-holes, carved figured-maple back and sides, a blonde finish, and multi-ply binding. The guitar features a figured maple neckāebony necks were also availableā thatās matched with a bound ebony fretboard. It has an adjustable ebony bridge and a gold-plated tailpiece with an engraved silver insert that was new to the model in 1937. The multi-bound blackface headstock sports a pearl flowerpot inlay and Grover Imperial tuners. The guitar was originally equipped with a raised multi-bound pickguard, but that became a casualty from years of radio gigs, studio sessions, and worldwide traveling.
As you can see, this L-5 has some unusual wear and tear above the low-E string. This looks similar to the wear pattern on some of Dave Matthewsā Taylor acoustics thatās caused by his unusually heavy upstrokes. To our knowledge, Shook wasnāt a heavy-handed picker, but instead this wear resulted from him playing the guitar upside down. Though his L-5 was strung up normally, Shook played his guitar left-handed (as shown above).
A special thanks to Cheryl Offutt and her husband Jeff Offutt for the opportunity to feature her grandfatherās fine instrument.
Shook was a pioneer of the Nashville session scene. He was one of the first to make playing the guitar in the studioāon both radio and record datesāa full-time and decent paying job. Besides having his mainstay gig as WSMās acoustic guitaristāwhich included playing on the Grand Ole Opry weekly programāfor 45 years, Shook used his L-5 in his singing group the Missouri Mountaineers, on the Teddy Bart Noon Show and countless other country recordings and radio programs. In addition to the aforementioned legends Shook worked with in the studio, he also recorded with Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Hank Snow, Eddy Arnold, and Ray Price.
Shookās L-5 has a carved spruce top complete with bound f-holes, carved figured-maple back and sides, a blonde finish, and multi-ply binding. The guitar features a figured maple neckāebony necks were also availableā thatās matched with a bound ebony fretboard. It has an adjustable ebony bridge and a gold-plated tailpiece with an engraved silver insert that was new to the model in 1937. The multi-bound blackface headstock sports a pearl flowerpot inlay and Grover Imperial tuners. The guitar was originally equipped with a raised multi-bound pickguard, but that became a casualty from years of radio gigs, studio sessions, and worldwide traveling.
As you can see, this L-5 has some unusual wear and tear above the low-E string. This looks similar to the wear pattern on some of Dave Matthewsā Taylor acoustics thatās caused by his unusually heavy upstrokes. To our knowledge, Shook wasnāt a heavy-handed picker, but instead this wear resulted from him playing the guitar upside down. Though his L-5 was strung up normally, Shook played his guitar left-handed (as shown above).
A special thanks to Cheryl Offutt and her husband Jeff Offutt for the opportunity to feature her grandfatherās fine instrument.
