I suspected that a visit to famed flattop company J.W. Gallagher
and Son in Wartrace, Tennessee, would be a rural treat when I noticed
that the directions said, "After you get into town, turn left at the flagpole."
Entering the small-town, storefront office was a bit like stepping back
in time. "My grandfather made the bricks that this building is made of,"
Don Gallagher told me with pride. Gallagher and his staff of five are
proud of the history, tradition, and old-time craftsmanship of their instruments
as well.
J.W. Gallagher and Son (7 Main St., Wartrace, TN 37183; [931] 389-6455;
www.dnj.com/gallagher) grew
out of a woodworking and furniture shop established by J.W. Gallagher
(Don’s father) in the ’30s. The father-and-son team got into the guitar
business in 1965, when large companies such as Martin and Gibson had
a firm grip on the dreadnought market. Fortunately for the Gallaghers,
one of their instruments caught the ear of famed flatpicker Doc Watson,
who has been helping them get the word out ever since. The relationship
resulted in the Doc Watson signature model released in 1974.
Since then, J.W. Gallagher has passed on and the company he founded
has grown a lot, but it hasn’t lost its small-shop atmosphere. Although
a CNC machine is used to shape fingerboards and create inlays, other
machinery is decidedly old-school. "We still use some of the basic woodworking
equipment my father got back in the ’30s when he started making furniture,"
explains Don. "We also use a big stroke-sander my father made back in
the late ’50s to sand the tops and backs after the bodies are assembled."
But Gallagher’s reluctance to modify the machinery around the shop
does not carry over to his guitars. Although the popular G-70 rosewood
and spruce dreadnought hasn’t changed much in outward appearance over
the years, it has—like all of Gallagher’s models—been modified in several
significant ways. "The most important change came in about 1987, when
we changed the neck [truss] rod from a quarter-inch steel rod to a U-channel
rod," says Gallagher. "It made the neck a lot stiffer and allowed us
to do a bit more in terms of profiling the neck, so it gave us a better-feeling
neck." Another development was the change to a top with a 25-foot radius,
with the apex right in front of the bridge. This change makes the guitars
stronger and enriches their sound. The Steve Kaufman signature model
features a neck with a steeper angle and an elevated fingerboard, which
results in a higher bridge that creates more tension and torque for
better sound projection. Most of these changes were based on customer
and dealer feedback.
Seven-string
Steve Kaufman model.
Gallagher offers 14 basic models (starting at $2,000) that appeal to
a wide variety of players. From the small-bodied GC-70 (available with
a 12- or 14-fret neck) to the 12-string G-70-12, each model is built
with a particular sonic goal in mind. "We’ve always tried to produce
a guitar with a good balance across the range; good, clear projection;
and a fullness and richness to the sound," says Gallagher. "Even the
mahogany guitars, which are traditionally a little thinner and more
trebly sounding, have a fuller sound than the traditional mahogany guitar.
The difference is in part the way we voice the bracing and in part because
we use African instead of Honduran mahogany."
Every six-string Gallagher model can be ordered as a seven-string,
and standard options include inlay work, cutaways, and slotted headstocks.
Customers appreciate Gallagher’s attention to detail and frequently
order custom instruments as well.
Excerpted from Acoustic
Guitar magazine, April 2000, No. 88.
