The Sound

Tony Rice playing his guitar

A Means to an End: The Richard Hoover/Tony Rice Quest for the Ideal Guitar

By the time it got into Tony Rice’s hands, the iconic 1935 Martin D-28 had seen more than its fair share of wear.  Known as “The Antique” or “58957”, the guitar rested under Joe Miller’s bed for nine years before Tony acquired it in 1975 and soon brought it to Randy Wood for a neck…

Read More »

Lawrence Smart F-5

For Luthier Lawrence Smart, X Marks His Spot

Photo by Bud Osborne Maybe it’s something in the Pacific Northwest’s air or water, or perhaps it’s being surrounded by the grand mountain forests of Idaho and the Pacific Coast that inspires brilliant luthiery. But whatever it is, that majestic region has spawned some of the world’s finest woodsmiths, including mandolin masters Michael Heiden, Fletcher…

Read More »

Employees working on violins in the shop

The Violin Shop

Photos By Shelley Swanger Providing a combination of sales, repairs, rentals, workshops, performances, and musical fellowship, The Violin Shop has been the choice of Nashville’s finest fiddlers for over 30 years. Meeting the needs of four- (and even five-) string devotees from bluegrass to classical, Celtic to old-time, The Violin Shop (at 2504 8th Avenue…

Read More »

Photo of a J model mandolin on a stand in a photo studio

Will Kimble J Model Mandolin

Photos By Bud Osborne Modern bluegrass mandolin players differ in many ways from their predecessors. Emerging players are more open to non-conventional bluegrass instruments, such as the lightweight Nechville banjo or the thin-bodied Bourgeois Guitars Odyssey Dreadnought played on stage by Andy Falco. Even Monroe acolyte Andy Statman joined that trend several years ago when…

Read More »

Gavin plays his guitar

Gaven “Gravy” Largent

Modern Day Dobro Construction from a Traditional Perspective Photos By Jake’s Visuals In our world of bluegrass and acoustic music, the news travels quickly when a young master emerges on the scene. The sound of the Dobro1 in this artist’s hands puts the icing on the cake, or in this case the Gravy (self-penned moniker)…

Read More »

A Preston Thompson guitar lying in a bed a plants

A 21st Century Bluegrass Guitar From Oregon’s High Desert

The D-MA from Preston Thompson Guitars in Sisters, Oregon has almost no interest in impersonating a vintage D-18. And that’s exactly what makes it such a compelling and distinctively modern flatpicking guitar. Even though it shares the basic D-18 DNA of a mahogany dreadnought body with a forward-shifted, scalloped-braced, tap-tuned Adirondack top, the Thompson D-MA…

Read More »