Interesting info about Doc Watson’s Guitar in FJ 24

posted by Tom Walzem

Some suprising information about Doc Watson’s Gallagher in Fretboard Journal’s number 24! Don Gallagher, son of company founder John William Gallagher tells of the special moment when Doc picked the guitar he wanted to play:

“After the festival, we stopped by Doc’s house where he played a rosewood G-70 and this mahogany G-50, which he liked more. I remember he said the guitar sounded like it had a real ivory nut, which was true.”

Turns out the guitar had a crack in the side from the start which didn’t bother Doc either.
Imagine being able to hear and identify nut material? What does that say about how cracks effect guitar sound?

By the way, the ivory nut in the photo is not Doc's guitar, you’ll have to see that in Issue 24 of The Fretboard Journal.
Till then you will have to settle for some tasty vintage Doc before he got his treasured Gallagher.