Robert Godin went deer hunting in 1972 and
came back with a guitar factory instead of
a buck. Today, the company that bears his
name is one of the largest stringed-instrument
manufacturers in North America, and counts
legendary players like John McLaughlin and
Steve Stevens among its endorsees.
For all the emphasis, time, and money we guitarists put into tonewoods, pickups, amps, tubes, effects, speakers, and even cables, we often spend very little time thinking about the core component without which a guitar simply becomes a collection of wood—strings.
Contemporary-country superstar Keith Urban reflects on how
Waylon Jennings’ indie spirit inspired him more than 20 years
ago in Australia, why Mark Knopfler became his first guitar hero,
and how he rehabilitated many of his treasured vintage axes after
the tragic Nashville flood of 2010.
The first installment in our new series on players who’ve shaped the history of guitar focuses on Nashville session ace Hank Garland—a master of jazz, country, and rockabilly.
Randy Parsons builds guitars for Jack White, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, and more, using out-of-the-box materials like bone, flowers, copper, and solid ebony. We talk to the luthier about his craft, and see his extraordinary creations.
