Gallagher Guitars: Shepherding a Legacy into a New Decade
Occasionally you see a guitar making workshop passed on between generations within a family, but all told, it’s uncommon. Guitar building, especially when it’s not done in a factory model, is a labor of love, passion and often an all-consuming obsession—not exactly an easy trade to expect your children to carry on. But it is even more unexpected for an outsider to sensitively step in and take on the role of the visionary leader, honoring the original legacy while building on it in their own way.
Recently we had the opportunity to chat with one such rare soul, David Mathis of Gallagher Guitars. Since he and his wife Reina took over from Don and Stephen Gallagher in 2019, he’s put together an incredible team, combining some of the old Gallagher crew and pulling in talented luthiers from places like the Galloup School, to further the reach and prominence of one of Tennessee’s finest guitar workshops. This month Lindsay and Zane stopped by the Murfreesboro workshop and venue to chat with David about carrying on the creative vision of J.W. and Don Gallagher, the Tennessee Guitars, their commitment to the local and wider musical communities, and new and unexpected partnerships with companies like 1 Hotel.
This interview is available in a longer video format on TNAG’s YouTube channel and via the Talking Guitar podcast! Originally featured in Connoisseur V1E6.
Photos, camera work and editing by Zane Dumont
Lindsay: Well, David, thank you so much for having us here in this beautiful space and showing us around the workshop. It's so exciting for us to finally see what goes on behind the scenes! Can you share some of the backstory of Gallagher Guitars for folks who might be less familiar with the company’s history?
David: Gallagher Guitars started in 1965 and there's a back story to it. J.W. Gallagher was doing his thing down in Wartrace (TN) building high end, Queen Anne-style furniture. He started his shop in 1939 but then went into the military. When he came back, the Slingerland Drum Factory was there and they wanted to build retail guitars, so they recruited him and another man to come set up the production line. He knows how to work with wood, but he didn't know anything about guitars. He took one to a bandsaw, cut it open, and taught himself how to make a guitar by reverse engineering. He was mostly self-taught, but through consultation with C.F. Martin, he also learned how to radius and brace the guitars.
His son Don helped run the business for 40 years. As they were learning to build guitars, what really changed was when they developed a relationship with Doc Watson. It was really by chance that that occurred. Doc loved the G-50 and that became a very famous guitar, but it was really a collaboration. They were always seeking out further input from the artists in learning how to build and refine their guitars.
L: It seems like Gallagher has a really strong relationship with players in that regard. What is your connection to the company?
D: I learned my first guitar chords on a Gallagher. My youth director had a Gallagher 1967 G-50, and I grew up fairly close to Wartrace, so I had always known about Gallagher. When they closed down in May of 2019, I purchased it later that year to revive it.
I had some understanding, but not nearly enough appreciation for how meaningful these guitars are to people. There really is a sense with a small builder of having this connection, and it feels kind of like family. When people are building custom guitars, they often have such intense back and forth for a long period of time. It's like working with an artist on some sort of commissioned piece. But on top of all of that, Gallagher has been around so long that several generations at this point have gotten to play Gallaghers. That's really special.
L: One thing I've always kind of wondered about are J.W.’s influences, as that Martin-influence is visible and audible, but the nomenclature varies a bit.
D: Well, that's a good observation, our nomenclature is different. It's like our GA, we think of in Martin terms as the OM. The GC is like a 000. The language is a little different but they’re very similar designs.
L: Do you plan to expand more beyond what was originally being done by J.W. and Don?
D: Yeah, we've already done that in a couple of ways. In terms of staying within or staying true to that original vision while still kind of doing some new things here and there - I don't feel hemmed in by it at all. I think it's important to preserve this legacy that we have. We're expanding in some other ways, like with the top testing that we're doing. That's a refinement to the process. Don Gallagher was up here visiting recently and talked to him about that; they would have used the same technology if they'd had it.
We built the first parlor, then we received some encouragement to branch out, and so we added the jumbo line. We do a mahogany, rosewood, maple, and even a special, showy birdseye maple I designed that’s now touring with Old Crow Medicine Show. They're kind of flashy, so it fits in. There’s also the revival of the nylon classical design, which originated with J.W.
L: We’re seeing more and more luthiers focus on local or reclaimed woods, and you’re doing exciting things in that realm as well with your Tennessee guitars. Tell us more about those!
D: Yes, those are made entirely of Tennessee woods. We're using the traditional dreadnought body size, the GC, and we may do a slope shoulder, as well. They all have an Appalachian spruce top, which is Adirondack spruce that grows in the upper elevations of East Tennessee. We use Osage orange for the back and sides. We’re trying to figure out how to best describe that wood. It’s a very dense hardwood, a blend of maple and rosewood in a way. The difference in tone between the GC and the dreadnought, though, is incredible. The other woods that are interesting about it are the persimmon for the fretboard, bridge and headstock. Normally when you see persimmon, it's this light color kind of creamy wood; it's referred to as American ebony, very similar to African ebony. We have a source for that persimmon wood where it’s been wounded and spalted, so it provides some coloration that we think is really unique as well, and then we top it off with American holly for the binding.
There’s also Tennessee walnut we found recently that’s going to make some beautiful guitars, so we may use that in the future.
L: Speaking of guitars that aren’t your bread and butter, tell us more about the Gallacasters you’re about to launch.
D: Stephen Gallagher, the grandson of J.W., took over the company in 2015 for a little while, and actually made the first Gallacaster. I actually took the first one to last year's Merlefest and we got a lot of interest in it, so we did a lot of planning and thinking about it and came up with two models that are building. Because this is Nashville, and you need more T-style bodies in Nashville, right?
L: Right!
D: So we're doing a Standard and then we're doing a Deluxe, where we not only bind the body but we also bind the neck, just to give it a little more refined look to it. Then we use our Bellflower inlay on the Deluxe and then a flamed maple top. Yes, thank you for noticing that.
L: Going back to the workshop a little bit more, one thing that we were talking about earlier was the way Gallagher is a small shop, but it is more than one person—you guys have a team and you’re able to maybe more easily find efficiencies and replicate things consistently. But there is still that attention to detail that you don't get from a factory-made guitar.
D: I still marvel at it myself! I walk in and to see the way the eyes are focused on some small detail trying to make sure it's just right. They’re very focused.
L: You were showing us some of the machines that J.W. himself had designed, some of which are still in use, to help standardize the process, but without necessarily losing that individual attention.
D: Right. We make some use of CNC, as you can just be so precise with inlay work when you're doing it on a CNC machine, but it doesn't mean that we're just leaving it to the machine. There's a lot of detail work in just drawing it up and managing it, and then filling the pockets and all of that. But the machine can do some things in some cases more consistently. But that's not the same as just cutting everything out on a machine and putting it together like it's just parts and pieces. We're involved hands-on from beginning to end.
L: Yeah, that is the literal best of both worlds. Do they split tasks between different luthiers to specialize, or does everyone do a bit of everything?
D: So the interesting thing about that is that we all have strengths and weaknesses. Most of the guys have had formal training before coming here. One of the young men that you met back there joined us recently for a very specific task, but we've trained him in other areas as well. But the strengths and weaknesses come where you see people really shine in an area, and so they lean more toward doing that most of the time.
L: Tying things back to Gallagher’s relationship with artists. You guys have this beautiful venue space where you host concerts and events. Was that always a component or was that something that you spearheaded?
D: Well, we had become established here in the shop, and when we first rented this space, there was a coffee shop here next door. But not long after being here they said, hey, we're going to relocate to a different location—are you interested in renting this? I approached the owner and that was right before the pandemic hit, and so we have yet for it to reach its real potential. We've had some wonderful shows, and we certainly hope to do more as more acts get back to touring.
L: We were able to connect you recently to our friends at Cardboard Films, who had a contact with 1 Hotel who are opening here soon and wanted to partner with a local luthier. Can you share more about that?
D: I have found them excellent to work with because they have this genuine interest and understanding of the local culture, and here that involves music. They were really taken by the Tennessee guitar. They came down and visited the shop, and were able to see the Tennessee guitar in various stages. They're purchasing one of the Tennessee guitars to have at the hotel, and it's going to be on display as well as available for artists that visit.
L: Getting back to your personal history and experience, are you a woodworker yourself, and was that a factor for you in taking over Gallagher?
D: I thought I knew something about woodworking and guitars prior to taking this over, but I learn more and more every day. I'm involved in so many aspects of the process and business, but I don't get to put my hands on it as much anymore, but it’s not as much my role right now.
L: Now you’re more overseer and visionary?
D: Yeah, you know there are so many decisions and things that come up even as you're working through guitars. An especially important part, and one of my favorite parts, is working with people who are customizing guitars. I spend a lot of time helping identify what they want tonally, and working with them to get the aesthetics right, whether it’s something flashy or more in line with our more organic look. Sometimes we have to expand the conversation to involve one of the luthiers to do some further refining of that process. But it's so rewarding to work with people and help design a guitar and then deliver that to them. I’m busy with all that, and I’m having a ball. I’m never bored.
