Guitar stores’ allure
As I write this I am sitting in a coffee shop in trendy Buckhead in Atlanta. It is a hot and humid day, far different from the dry summer heat of my home in New Mexico.
I had some free time today and took the opportunity to visit my friend George Petsch, owner of Atlanta’s best boutique guitar emporium, Maple Street Guitars.
Now readers, you must know that I suffer from a serious chronic condition: G.A.S. No, not some gastrointestinal malady, but the far more dangerous Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. I believe that every music store on the planet possesses a large magnet that is set to my cellular makeup. I am drawn in and resistance is futile.
I attended The University of Georgia with Mr. Petsch, and he employs several of our collegiate alumni musicians as teachers of guitar at his Buckhead store. Upon entering the establishment one sees row upon row of stunning acoustic guitars, all lined up for inspection and purchase. True works of art, these instruments are.
Over the years I’ve purchased several instruments from Maple Street Guitars. I own a terrific Fender Telecaster that I use often in my home studio. I also spotted and purchased a smaller Martin guitar, an OM-21 that produces a warm tone matched only by its ease of play.
In New Mexico I haunt a guitar store in Albuquerque owned by Stan Burg and called Guitarvista. Like George Petsch in Atlanta, Stan greets friend and stranger alike with a warm greeting and an insatiable love for all things stringed.
For my 50th birthday, my bride presented me with a marvelous 1927 Gibson A mandolin. This baby is terrific and rings with a vintage tone that cannot be replicated.
To my horror one day out in New Mexico, I found that the back of the instrument had split open due to the dry heat of the desert region. I was greatly agitated and presented the damaged instrument to Stan in Albuquerque. Being the owner of a guitar store in a dry state has provided Stan with many opportunities to see the damage a dry environment can inflict on an instrument. He took it from
my arms with a twinkle in his eye and calmed my panic.
Several weeks later, Stan presented my instrument. There was no trace of damage and the luthier at Guitarvista had done a tremendous job with the repair. The vintage sound remained.
I entered the repair area of Maple Street Guitars in Atlanta and George was at the farthest bench repairing a high-end electric guitar. Tools that would be at home in a watchmaker’s shop lined the area, and guitar technicians bent over their charges like guitar surgeons. George and his crew have fine-tuned several of my instruments to my complete delight.
We talked today about the next generation of players and what instruments they might prefer. We spoke of the “great folk scare of the 1960s” in which groups like Peter, Paul and Mary and singers like Joan Baez inspired young folks to purchase high quality guitars.
Then came the MTV series “Unplugged.” Eric Clapton and Kurt Cobain played their Martin guitars before the cameras and sales surged at the music stores.
George and I mused on the future of guitar playing as we stood before a wall of sumptuous Fenders, Gibsons and other upscale electric guitars and amps. What was once “used” is now “vintage” and “vintage” is preferred over “new.”
Meanwhile back in Albuquerque, Stan Burg always beckons me to the rear of his workshop where he gingerly unveils a priceless instrument for my approval.
Alas, we three, George, Stan and myself, are gentlemen of a certain age who share an affection for an historic melding of wood and steel. Heck, we even like the way guitars smell!
The three of us rejoice when we spy a youngster cradle an instrument and strum a few well-placed chords. In fact, it pleases us in a sacred way.
Grandparents: this Christmas put a guitar under the tree for those beloveds. The investment is incalculable. Former Roman Harry Musselwhite is the author of “Martin the Guitar” and is an award-winning filmmaker.