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Hey, I'm here at Songbirds
this morning,
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uh, before anybody got here.
It's our last day and, uh...
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I haven't really dealt with my
own emotions yet, I don't think.
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I haven't spent a lot of time
crying, and I'm a crier.
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You know, COVID can go suck one,
as far as I'm concerned.
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It has destroyed, not...
Not just what we're doing here,
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but it's destroyed lives
and it's a very real thing.
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It's been as busy as every
other day was this week.
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This has been three times
busier than that,
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and we started the day
with ten people
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at the doorway
waiting to come in.
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It's been nonstop the whole day.
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Uh, we were supposed to be
limited on our vault tours,
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and we've had to not...
We've had to turn people away,
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which stinks. We've had
a lot of people back there,
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on the hour,
and now it's just sort of the...
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Grinding out
the last few minutes here.
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It's, uh, hard to believe
that it's coming to a close.
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Uh, but...
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What a... what a great day
to go out on.
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What a great day to go out on.
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I don't... I can't imagine in
my wildest dreams that
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there could possibly be
a collection of...
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Of the magnitude of what I saw.
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And I know I only saw
the tip of the iceberg.
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You know, the notion of like...
Of trying to curate
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the world's greatest
guitar collection...
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I don't think there'll be
a collection like this
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ever publicly displayed again.
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Every color of... of Telecaster
and Firebirds, and...
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of the whole collection
from the 1966 'Nam show,
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of course, and things like that.
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You know, I mean, one of
the reasons we're shutting down,
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obviously, is COVID.
We had a lease coming up.
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We've got a lot of money
in this place
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and we'd have to put a lot more
money in to keep it going.
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And with the lease being
on the horizon, um,
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you know, was the reason
that we just had to make
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a decision to go ahead
and end it now, um.
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We just couldn't afford
to go into it deeper
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than what we already were.
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Songbirds has been such
a huge part of my life
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the past three years.
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And especially through
the, uh, the Coronavirus,
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and having this as a venue
to come
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before we went into shutdown
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and then when we opened up,
to be able to come here,
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just...
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There really aren't words.
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Just cancel it all out.
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Since you're our last customer,
that's a gift from us to you,
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you can have it all.
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Just take it.
But you're our last customer.
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We wish everyone at Songbirds
well and we thank everyone,
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all the artists that we've seen,
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because live music is just
so good for, um,
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it's good for the soul.
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Y'all love Songbirds.
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The love that we've received
from the thousands
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and tens of thousands
of people has just...
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I didn't realize that
was even a thing.
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I didn't realize that, um,
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I didn't realize that this place
had reached that many people.
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I mean I kind of did,
but I didn't really know.
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You know, you don't...
You don't ever know.
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Songbirds is a...
Honestly, a labor of love,
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that, uh, was kind of
a culmination of different
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people's passions and ideals,
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uh, to create an awesome place
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for people to appreciate
music in a new light
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in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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Uh, Songbirds is, well,
it was probably
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the largest vintage
guitar museum in the world.
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It's the finest
collection of, mainly...
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It's got all types of guitars
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but the strong point
for Songbirds was truly
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the solid body guitar, uh.
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Guitars designed
between '48 and '65.
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What's neat about
this collection is
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it's not just about quantity.
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What I've... what I've been
really astounded by is
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the quality of the pieces
they've collected
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over the years.
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You're seeing great examples
of, of great instruments,
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not, not things that have had
things done to them.
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They're, they're all in
pretty astounding condition.
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So many may ask, "When did
these guitars go from being
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cheap, inexpensive,
used instruments
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to suddenly becoming highly
collectible vintage guitars
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that were going
for tens of thousands,
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if not hundreds of thousands
of dollars,
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some even hitting
the million dollar mark?"
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These instruments
in the '40s, '50s
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into the early '60s were
pretty much handmade guitars.
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1964, The Beatles
go on Ed Sullivan,
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and that's a huge turning point.
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Ladies and gentlemen,
The Beatles!
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The day after that performance,
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every kid in America suddenly
wanted to play guitar
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or get a drum set,
or be in a rock-and-roll band.
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Everything changed
almost overnight.
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So the demand
for an electric guitar
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just suddenly went up,
like, tenfold,
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and suddenly
the manufacturers had to
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ramp up production
to meet those demands.
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Fender would sell
his company to CBS,
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a large corporation that knew
nothing about building guitars.
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So Gibson was also sold in 1969
to a large corporation,
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much like Fender.
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And the trouble
with this was these companies
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really knew nothing
about building guitars,
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but again, had to show profits
to shareholders.
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And so, now cost-cutting design
changes were being implemented.
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By the early '70s, the quality
of an American guitar
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was, was actually pretty poor.
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And if you were
a guitar player in the know,
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you knew better than
to go buy a new one,
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and you went looking for
these older guitars.
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They were cheap,
they were affordable.
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It was just a used guitar.
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They may have been scratched
up a little bit,
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but they played great
and sounded great.
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And what started to happen
by the late '70s is with...
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As people became more
and more hip to this fact,
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the demand for these used
guitars started to go up.
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And suddenly, with the demand,
the price went up.
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This sunburst Les Pauls
like Eric Clapton played
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uh, Peter Green,
Mike Bloomfield,
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those guitars
were the first ones
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people really began to seek out.
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And by the mid-'80s,
they were up to $5,000 already.
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It was 1958 to 1960
Sunburst Les Paul.
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They only made them
for three years.
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Those guitars today start at
a quarter of a million dollars.
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I started to build
the collection
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for one of my clients.
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I have a store in New York.
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One of my clients wanted
to build a collection,
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and that started about
23 years ago,
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and we started to build
a collection,
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never thinking that it would
ever turn into anything
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besides a private collection.
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Uh, this collector basically
built up this collection
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over 20 years of just amazing
pieces, one after the other.
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And then I think... just one day
he woke up and said,
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"I got all this,
what do I do with it?" You know.
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And he felt it would
be great to show it
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and share it, you know,
instead of keeping it hidden.
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I immediately started dedicating
a lot of my time
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to trying to find what would be
a location that would be ideal
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for something like a guitar
museum,
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'cause that's what it was at the
beginning, was a guitar museum.
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At one point, we had discussed
possibly putting
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a kind of a storefront museum
in Manhattan, in New York,
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but the $25,000 a month rent
was pretty scary,
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and we didn't really want
to do that.
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So we were looking at cities
that might be able to
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accommodate this from a... from
a business, economic standpoint.
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And, you know, of course,
it was the usual suspects:
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Nashville, um, Austin, Texas,
even Seattle, New York,
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all the places that have
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the density of tourism
that would make it make sense.
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They started
a little scouting mission
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and they bounced around
from city to city,
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going from Austin to Seattle
to Nashville.
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The investors
just said Chattanooga.
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And then I started
kind of changing
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my thought process about...
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Chattanooga in terms
of being able to support it,
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because I thought
'they need this.'
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The opportunity presented
itself in Chattanooga
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with this beautiful,
historic building,
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and we just felt that it kind
of suited what we wanted to do.
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And we figured that
if we came in here,
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it may take the, the town
a little bit of time
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to catch up
to what we were doing,
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but we figured, within a few
years, we would be there.
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And then,
at the end of the night,
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around the 8:00 hour,
just so you know,
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we're gonna take a visit
upstairs, and we've got
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something very, very special
for you up there to see.
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I'm not gonna tell you
what it is yet,
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but trust me,
you'll want to stay and see
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what we've got for you upstairs
which will be our space.
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So we did a launch party
that was really...
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I can say it now... was really
more of a pseudo-launch party.
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We didn't even have
any connections
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00:10:02,036 --> 00:10:03,796
to really make this thing an
announcement for real, for real,
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00:10:03,820 --> 00:10:06,606
but I thought if they started
making an announcement,
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it went public,
we did some demo work,
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then it was
going to be more real
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than it had been in the past.
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And, um... and I was right.
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It became very real.
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I mean, we weren't
exactly kamikazes,
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00:10:19,140 --> 00:10:21,925
but we were darn near close
on what we were trying to do.
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None of us had ever started
a guitar museum before.
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00:10:25,233 --> 00:10:27,888
I don't think what we did
has ever been done.
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I spent a lot of nights
in here sleeping on a cot,
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00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:38,725
for real, um,
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and waking up the next morning.
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00:10:41,597 --> 00:10:44,165
And, you know, I knew all the
workers' names that were here,
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every contractor
that was on this place,
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00:10:46,123 --> 00:10:48,188
every subcontractor that was in
this place, I remember them.
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00:10:48,212 --> 00:10:50,824
I got to the point at that time
I knew their kids' names.
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And, uh...
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00:10:54,610 --> 00:10:55,785
we built it.
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00:11:05,795 --> 00:11:07,928
So we're coming to you
from my shop here
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00:11:07,971 --> 00:11:09,451
on Long Island in New York,
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00:11:09,756 --> 00:11:11,279
where all the guitars
that went over
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00:11:11,322 --> 00:11:13,760
to the Songbirds Museum made
their first stop.
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We would go out
and procure them,
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00:11:15,892 --> 00:11:17,764
bring them here
to the shop to authenticate
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and go through everything
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00:11:19,156 --> 00:11:21,419
to make sure
everything fit the bill,
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00:11:21,463 --> 00:11:24,814
and then we would, uh,
transport them en masse
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00:11:24,858 --> 00:11:26,990
to Chattanooga
to go to Songbirds.
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00:11:29,776 --> 00:11:31,952
So this is the guitar
that started it all.
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A 1954 Fender Stratocaster
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00:11:36,043 --> 00:11:42,179
that I sold on eBay
uh, for $25,000 at the time.
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And, uh, what's cool
about the early ones is
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this is a one-piece ash body
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00:11:48,185 --> 00:11:50,927
and, uh, it doesn't have
the vibrato arm,
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or the whammy bar,
as some call it.
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00:11:52,668 --> 00:11:54,931
This is called a hardtail
and it's drilled through
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00:11:54,975 --> 00:11:57,325
the back of the guitar,
more like a Telecaster.
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00:11:57,629 --> 00:11:59,501
But you can see the beautiful
grain of the ash.
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00:12:00,241 --> 00:12:02,678
The other thing I love about
this particular guitar,
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00:12:02,722 --> 00:12:05,812
and that moved me about it,
was the size,
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00:12:05,855 --> 00:12:07,814
the sheer size of the neck.
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00:12:07,857 --> 00:12:11,513
It is... it is absolutely huge,
but super comfortable.
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00:12:11,992 --> 00:12:14,821
Allows you to wrap your thumb
over the top when you play.
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00:12:15,212 --> 00:12:17,301
Uh, some people love that style.
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00:12:17,606 --> 00:12:19,042
You know, the headstocks
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00:12:19,086 --> 00:12:21,653
on the early guitars
are super thin
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00:12:21,697 --> 00:12:26,310
and the logo that's up there
just says Fender Stratocaster,
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00:12:26,354 --> 00:12:28,965
usually would say
'with synchronized tremolo, '
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00:12:29,009 --> 00:12:32,447
but since there's no vibrato
arm built onto this bridge,
241
00:12:33,013 --> 00:12:35,276
it simply just says
Fender Stratocaster.
242
00:12:35,319 --> 00:12:37,495
And they call this
the Spaghetti logo,
243
00:12:37,757 --> 00:12:40,411
basically, because it looks
like somebody laid spaghetti
244
00:12:40,455 --> 00:12:42,587
on a table
to form the word Fender.
245
00:12:42,631 --> 00:12:44,807
Uh, I happen to think it's just
246
00:12:44,851 --> 00:12:47,070
the greatest looking logo
I've ever seen.
247
00:12:47,114 --> 00:12:49,029
I wish they never got
away from it.
248
00:12:49,072 --> 00:12:51,509
You know, one of the things
that makes this a vintage guitar
249
00:12:51,553 --> 00:12:55,296
is that it was... this is the
first year of production in 1954
250
00:12:55,339 --> 00:12:59,866
and usually, uh,
we stick along that, uh,
251
00:12:59,909 --> 00:13:03,347
pre-1970 line
for vintage guitars,
252
00:13:03,391 --> 00:13:07,134
although
some people will say 1979.
253
00:13:07,656 --> 00:13:10,528
Uh, pretty much anything made
before 1970
254
00:13:10,572 --> 00:13:12,879
would be considered vintage
guitars in this store.
255
00:13:16,230 --> 00:13:18,058
You know, interestingly enough,
256
00:13:18,101 --> 00:13:20,712
there was a pretty good rivalry
between Gibson and Fender.
257
00:13:21,017 --> 00:13:22,279
They were competitors.
258
00:13:23,715 --> 00:13:25,675
You know, Gibson and Fender
are still competitors.
259
00:13:25,761 --> 00:13:27,284
Not to slight Gibson,
260
00:13:28,329 --> 00:13:32,246
but Leo Fender got it right
the first time a lot of times.
261
00:13:32,942 --> 00:13:37,468
Fender had this advantage
of using, uh, lesser materials
262
00:13:37,512 --> 00:13:41,298
and a bolt-on neck and, and, uh,
getting products out cheaply.
263
00:13:41,342 --> 00:13:43,170
They, you know...
264
00:13:43,213 --> 00:13:46,347
The fender was the craftsman
wrench, you know,
265
00:13:46,390 --> 00:13:50,264
and Gibson was the dental tool,
the dental instrument,
266
00:13:50,307 --> 00:13:52,657
that fine, delicate instrument.
267
00:13:53,136 --> 00:13:56,879
Gibson really started to really
flourish on electric side
268
00:13:56,923 --> 00:13:58,141
with Ted McCarty.
269
00:13:58,707 --> 00:14:01,753
Um, it took Gibson
a few tries on the Les Paul
270
00:14:01,797 --> 00:14:03,886
to get it to where
it's the classic Les Paul,
271
00:14:03,930 --> 00:14:05,148
you know it was...
272
00:14:05,540 --> 00:14:08,238
And all versions are classic
in their own way.
273
00:14:08,717 --> 00:14:13,156
But the one that they ended up
with, the Sunburst Les Paul,
274
00:14:13,417 --> 00:14:15,942
which is the flame top,
with the sunburst
275
00:14:15,985 --> 00:14:18,727
and the, you know, finish,
and the humbucking pickups,
276
00:14:19,641 --> 00:14:22,992
it took 'em literally
almost six years
277
00:14:23,036 --> 00:14:26,343
and four, five different
variations of that.
278
00:14:26,387 --> 00:14:29,085
Leo Fender came out
with the Stratocaster in '54,
279
00:14:29,390 --> 00:14:30,957
and the Stratocaster
looks identical.
280
00:14:31,740 --> 00:14:34,830
That caused problems
at some point
281
00:14:34,874 --> 00:14:36,788
between Gibson and Fender,
282
00:14:36,832 --> 00:14:40,053
where Fenders were trying
to upscale their guitars
283
00:14:40,096 --> 00:14:41,837
to be more like Gibson's
284
00:14:41,881 --> 00:14:43,795
by adding things like binding
on the neck
285
00:14:43,839 --> 00:14:47,147
and block marker inlays
made of pearl in the neck,
286
00:14:47,190 --> 00:14:50,802
where Gibson was trying
to cheapen their guitars
287
00:14:50,846 --> 00:14:53,022
to be more price competitive
with Fender.
288
00:14:53,066 --> 00:14:56,373
So they took this great guitar,
the Gibson Firebird,
289
00:14:56,417 --> 00:14:59,811
and they made a new version of
it starting in 1965
290
00:14:59,855 --> 00:15:03,946
that became, basically, the
New Coke of the Gibson world.
291
00:15:03,990 --> 00:15:05,600
And then, throughout the '60s,
292
00:15:05,643 --> 00:15:08,646
you'll see Firebirds come in,
SGs come in
293
00:15:08,690 --> 00:15:11,432
in response to Strats,
and then Teles, and Jaguars,
294
00:15:11,475 --> 00:15:14,870
and Offsets, you know.
Um, and, you know,
295
00:15:14,914 --> 00:15:17,177
if you look at
Fender's custom color chart,
296
00:15:17,438 --> 00:15:19,222
and Gibson's custom color chart,
297
00:15:19,266 --> 00:15:21,007
they kind of had the same...
298
00:15:21,050 --> 00:15:23,400
Different names for kind of
the same colors, you know.
299
00:15:23,835 --> 00:15:27,230
They were constantly trying
to outdo each other.
300
00:15:27,578 --> 00:15:29,929
So, you know,
one of the things that
301
00:15:29,972 --> 00:15:31,626
I always look at is, you know,
302
00:15:31,669 --> 00:15:33,236
which is better:
Gibson or Fender?
303
00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:35,282
And honestly,
they're both amazing guitars,
304
00:15:35,325 --> 00:15:37,414
but for completely different
reasons.
305
00:15:43,029 --> 00:15:46,162
In the late '50s,
Gibson's sales started to drop.
306
00:15:46,206 --> 00:15:49,557
The Les Paul was not selling
as well as it did before,
307
00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:51,167
partly 'cause rock-and-roll
308
00:15:51,211 --> 00:15:53,126
had kind of killed
Les Paul's career.
309
00:15:53,648 --> 00:15:55,258
He wasn't as popular anymore
on the radio
310
00:15:55,302 --> 00:15:57,913
as he used to be, um,
311
00:15:57,957 --> 00:16:01,308
and Gibson guitars, the Les
Paul, was an expensive guitar.
312
00:16:01,351 --> 00:16:04,572
It was $250, $275 at that time.
313
00:16:04,615 --> 00:16:06,008
And it was a heavy guitar,
314
00:16:06,052 --> 00:16:07,792
weighed about nine pounds
around your neck.
315
00:16:08,054 --> 00:16:09,707
There's a little weight there.
316
00:16:09,751 --> 00:16:12,928
But your average Fender guitar
weighed seven pounds
317
00:16:12,972 --> 00:16:16,149
and probably costs about $175,
give or take in that age.
318
00:16:17,019 --> 00:16:20,370
These started to outsell
Gibson by the late '50s,
319
00:16:21,241 --> 00:16:23,373
but the real key was also Fender
320
00:16:23,417 --> 00:16:25,201
had a very aggressive
marketing team.
321
00:16:25,462 --> 00:16:26,942
Fender would advertise this as
322
00:16:26,986 --> 00:16:29,292
the modern, hip,
youthful guitar,
323
00:16:29,336 --> 00:16:30,902
and they would also
324
00:16:30,946 --> 00:16:32,706
underneath that in their ads,
they would write,
325
00:16:32,730 --> 00:16:35,037
"Gibson is
your old man's guitar."
326
00:16:35,429 --> 00:16:37,518
Because if you looked
at a Sunburst Les Paul,
327
00:16:37,561 --> 00:16:39,172
or a Goldtop Les Paul,
328
00:16:39,215 --> 00:16:41,435
it look like an old
arch-top jazz guitar,
329
00:16:41,478 --> 00:16:42,653
like, maybe, your dad played.
330
00:16:43,393 --> 00:16:45,004
So Ted McCarty,
331
00:16:45,047 --> 00:16:47,136
having enough of that,
figured he'd fight back.
332
00:16:47,876 --> 00:16:50,531
In '58, he would design
three new models
333
00:16:50,574 --> 00:16:52,968
he would refer to as
his modern series.
334
00:16:53,012 --> 00:16:55,101
He designed a flying V,
335
00:16:56,232 --> 00:16:58,017
The Explorer,
336
00:16:58,408 --> 00:17:00,430
which have both become
very popular in recent years,
337
00:17:00,454 --> 00:17:03,370
and there was a third model,
called the Moderne,
338
00:17:03,413 --> 00:17:06,286
we don't have one.
As far as I know,
339
00:17:06,329 --> 00:17:08,853
there was at least
one prototype made
340
00:17:08,897 --> 00:17:11,595
that I believe was destroyed
by Gibson later on,
341
00:17:11,856 --> 00:17:13,249
because it was never used.
342
00:17:13,641 --> 00:17:17,906
So in 1958, he would show these
at the 1958 Trade Show
343
00:17:18,385 --> 00:17:21,649
and start to p... start
production on these Flying Vs.
344
00:17:22,171 --> 00:17:25,000
Later on in '58, he would start
production on the Explorer.
345
00:17:25,044 --> 00:17:27,916
By early '59,
346
00:17:27,959 --> 00:17:30,484
feedback from the dealers
would inform them
347
00:17:30,527 --> 00:17:32,486
that they couldn't give
these guitars away.
348
00:17:32,529 --> 00:17:34,357
These guitars were so radical
349
00:17:34,401 --> 00:17:37,447
in shape, design and look,
way ahead of their time,
350
00:17:37,491 --> 00:17:38,927
they could not sell them.
351
00:17:39,493 --> 00:17:41,756
They also found out in '59
352
00:17:41,799 --> 00:17:44,585
that anybody in a factory
working around these guitars
353
00:17:44,628 --> 00:17:46,978
was having health issues,
breathing issues.
354
00:17:47,283 --> 00:17:49,633
They discovered that when...
With this wood,
355
00:17:49,894 --> 00:17:52,984
when you sanded it, or sawed
it and breathed in the dust,
356
00:17:53,246 --> 00:17:54,856
it was almost carcinogenic.
357
00:17:55,204 --> 00:17:57,119
So they immediately
halted production,
358
00:17:57,163 --> 00:17:58,686
got rid of the wood.
359
00:17:58,990 --> 00:18:00,731
Uh, the wood they used
on these guitars,
360
00:18:00,775 --> 00:18:03,560
unlike most Gibsons,
which were mahogany and maple,
361
00:18:03,908 --> 00:18:07,086
this is a wood called
limba wood.
362
00:18:14,745 --> 00:18:18,575
So how I started off at
Songbirds was I was a member.
363
00:18:18,619 --> 00:18:22,144
I came and did a Vault Tour
here with Irv Berner
364
00:18:22,188 --> 00:18:24,625
uh, one week after we opened.
365
00:18:24,668 --> 00:18:26,235
I'd heard
that we had this brand new
366
00:18:26,279 --> 00:18:28,150
vintage guitar
museum in Chattanooga.
367
00:18:28,194 --> 00:18:31,414
I live on the South Side,
very close to the museum,
368
00:18:31,849 --> 00:18:34,548
and I came here on a Saturday
and did a Vault Tour
369
00:18:34,591 --> 00:18:36,332
and then immediately
left from here
370
00:18:36,376 --> 00:18:38,160
and went to the front desk
371
00:18:38,204 --> 00:18:40,284
and bought an annual membership
for my entire family,
372
00:18:40,641 --> 00:18:42,730
and then proceeded
to come back here
373
00:18:42,773 --> 00:18:46,255
every free chance I got
for that first year that,
374
00:18:46,299 --> 00:18:48,866
that I was around
here at the museum.
375
00:18:48,910 --> 00:18:51,826
There's always that thing in
life, quantity versus quality.
376
00:18:52,609 --> 00:18:53,847
And we've been fortunate in that
377
00:18:53,871 --> 00:18:55,699
we, we really have kind of both.
378
00:18:55,743 --> 00:18:58,354
We've... we've got an enormous
amount of wonderful guitars,
379
00:18:58,615 --> 00:19:01,183
but the quality of this
collection and the uniqueness...
380
00:19:01,923 --> 00:19:05,144
There are so many prototypes,
one-of-a-kinds,
381
00:19:05,187 --> 00:19:07,842
again, that tell a story
from beginning to end.
382
00:19:07,885 --> 00:19:11,324
You can see how certain
models would evolve over time.
383
00:19:11,367 --> 00:19:13,978
I know how it is sometimes
when they come up with an idea
384
00:19:14,022 --> 00:19:15,458
and you see it
for the first time,
385
00:19:15,502 --> 00:19:17,678
and you hold a prototype
and, you know,
386
00:19:17,721 --> 00:19:19,941
and the next thing you know,
387
00:19:19,984 --> 00:19:22,117
thousands of them
are out there, you know?
388
00:19:22,161 --> 00:19:25,686
And these ideas don't just
come from, you know, nowhere.
389
00:19:25,729 --> 00:19:27,514
I think they were inspired.
390
00:19:27,949 --> 00:19:29,472
And so when I see that,
391
00:19:29,516 --> 00:19:32,214
it's... it's kind of like
a spiritual experience.
392
00:19:32,258 --> 00:19:33,520
It really was.
393
00:19:34,303 --> 00:19:36,392
The Songbirds' collection
is my kind of stuff.
394
00:19:37,219 --> 00:19:39,395
It's solid b...
A lot of solid bodies,
395
00:19:40,701 --> 00:19:44,095
'50s and '60s
Gibsons and Fenders.
396
00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:45,836
You know, I always tell people
397
00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,318
I collect solid body electric
guitars
398
00:19:49,362 --> 00:19:52,408
from about 1950 to about 1965.
399
00:19:53,453 --> 00:19:55,194
Those are the 15 years
that I really like.
400
00:19:55,846 --> 00:19:58,501
Yeah, it's, it's incredible.
I mean, it's just...
401
00:19:58,545 --> 00:20:01,504
It was overwhelming,
and inspiring
402
00:20:01,548 --> 00:20:02,636
because you just go,
403
00:20:03,289 --> 00:20:05,943
You know, this...
Somebody did this.
404
00:20:06,335 --> 00:20:08,119
Somebody went out and said,
405
00:20:08,163 --> 00:20:10,054
"I'm going to do this
and I'm going to commit to it."
406
00:20:10,078 --> 00:20:12,863
You know, when we first started
to put this collection together,
407
00:20:12,907 --> 00:20:15,779
it was a few Blackguard
Fender Telecasters
408
00:20:15,823 --> 00:20:19,653
made from 1952 to 1954.
409
00:20:20,523 --> 00:20:22,351
And the collection
started to grow,
410
00:20:22,395 --> 00:20:24,135
and then it became
Stratocasters,
411
00:20:24,179 --> 00:20:27,269
and the, all of a sudden,
it became ES335s,
412
00:20:27,313 --> 00:20:30,141
and then Les Pauls,
and then one day,
413
00:20:30,185 --> 00:20:32,970
when this idea
for a museum came up,
414
00:20:33,275 --> 00:20:37,192
uh, I had to put a stop
to everything we were doing,
415
00:20:37,236 --> 00:20:38,889
it was literally,
stop the presses.
416
00:20:38,933 --> 00:20:41,283
Because now we're not just
buying for a collection,
417
00:20:41,327 --> 00:20:43,807
we're buying for a museum,
which is very different.
418
00:20:44,199 --> 00:20:47,289
And we had to make sure that
we scratched every itch.
419
00:20:47,333 --> 00:20:49,509
So if you grew up
and you were a Beatles fan
420
00:20:49,552 --> 00:20:51,487
and you played a Rickenbacker,
we suddenly realized, wow,
421
00:20:51,511 --> 00:20:53,077
we didn't have
any Rickenbackers.
422
00:20:53,339 --> 00:20:54,949
Or if you were a Gretsch player,
423
00:20:54,992 --> 00:20:56,318
we didn't have any Gretschs,
and we didn't have
424
00:20:56,342 --> 00:20:58,431
a whole bunch
of flattop guitars,
425
00:20:58,474 --> 00:21:00,514
and we didn't have a whole
bunch of archtop guitars.
426
00:21:00,607 --> 00:21:03,305
So it was literally,
in many ways, like having to
427
00:21:03,349 --> 00:21:07,353
start over again, but,
thankfully, we already had
428
00:21:07,396 --> 00:21:09,746
the really good Fender
and Gibson stuff already,
429
00:21:09,790 --> 00:21:11,487
so, we were in a good place.
430
00:21:11,835 --> 00:21:14,055
I became fascinated even more
431
00:21:14,098 --> 00:21:15,926
than I already was
with guitar history.
432
00:21:16,275 --> 00:21:17,624
And it occurred to me, like,
433
00:21:17,667 --> 00:21:19,147
if I had been
an art history person
434
00:21:19,190 --> 00:21:22,150
or somebody
who really enjoyed, um, art,
435
00:21:22,455 --> 00:21:25,632
this was like living next door
to the Louvre in Paris.
436
00:21:25,675 --> 00:21:27,590
This was, for me, Valhalla,
437
00:21:27,634 --> 00:21:29,549
the most awesome place
that I could be around,
438
00:21:29,592 --> 00:21:31,333
and it was right here
in my own backyard.
439
00:21:31,377 --> 00:21:34,945
So I started getting books
on vintage guitar history,
440
00:21:34,989 --> 00:21:37,513
and I would sit on the couch
right behind us, right here,
441
00:21:37,557 --> 00:21:39,341
and bring those in on Saturdays
442
00:21:39,385 --> 00:21:41,865
and read those vintage guitar
history books right here
443
00:21:41,909 --> 00:21:43,149
in the midst of the collection.
444
00:21:44,303 --> 00:21:45,889
At about four guitars in,
I remember seeing
445
00:21:45,913 --> 00:21:48,263
a guitar that looked like one
that we had on display here
446
00:21:48,307 --> 00:21:49,960
and I thought, man,
that's really similar
447
00:21:50,004 --> 00:21:51,590
to the one that I'm looking
at right here.
448
00:21:51,614 --> 00:21:53,921
And as I walked up from
the couch, to the case
449
00:21:53,964 --> 00:21:55,662
and looked at it,
realized it wasn't
450
00:21:55,705 --> 00:21:57,683
a guitar that looked like
the one that was in the book.
451
00:21:57,707 --> 00:21:59,535
It was the actual guitar
that was in the book,
452
00:21:59,579 --> 00:22:02,146
and that kept happening over,
and over, and over again.
453
00:22:02,408 --> 00:22:04,366
And my love for this place
kept growing.
454
00:22:04,758 --> 00:22:06,803
We had some great programs
where you could pay
455
00:22:06,847 --> 00:22:08,805
a little extra,
and get to play them.
456
00:22:09,110 --> 00:22:11,417
It was like getting
the keys to a Ferrari,
457
00:22:11,460 --> 00:22:13,680
being able to drive around
the track a few times.
458
00:22:13,941 --> 00:22:15,769
Uh, it's called
The Player's Experience.
459
00:22:15,812 --> 00:22:20,382
We just did one this morning
where a young teenager came in
460
00:22:20,426 --> 00:22:24,255
and he played
a 1959 Sunburst Les Paul.
461
00:22:24,908 --> 00:22:28,390
Uh, it's considered the Holy
Grail of the electric guitar.
462
00:22:28,869 --> 00:22:31,524
Most people in their lifetime
won't get a chance to play one.
463
00:22:32,351 --> 00:22:36,093
Well, it's hard to get your head
around it, actually.
464
00:22:36,442 --> 00:22:39,227
Uh, and everybody I ever try
to talk about it with,
465
00:22:39,270 --> 00:22:41,490
I would say that you just
have to see it.
466
00:22:42,186 --> 00:22:46,887
And not only was it because
they were worth so much,
467
00:22:46,930 --> 00:22:48,932
you know, in the value of 'em,
468
00:22:49,411 --> 00:22:51,282
but it was the attention
to detail.
469
00:22:51,500 --> 00:22:54,503
I mean, this is a labor of love.
470
00:22:54,547 --> 00:22:56,636
These guys are into this.
471
00:22:56,679 --> 00:22:59,813
It was like something
I'd never, ever seen before.
472
00:23:00,074 --> 00:23:03,294
There is
a certain nostalgic feeling
473
00:23:03,338 --> 00:23:08,778
whenever you can go back to
a simpler time.
474
00:23:09,823 --> 00:23:13,043
And, uh, for a lot of teens,
growing up,
475
00:23:13,348 --> 00:23:16,090
Fender and Gibson
was part of their lives,
476
00:23:16,699 --> 00:23:20,311
and they went to go play in
a garage band after school.
477
00:23:20,355 --> 00:23:24,054
And guitars made you popular
with the girls, you know,
478
00:23:24,098 --> 00:23:27,406
it was a, uh...
It was an incredible time.
479
00:23:28,494 --> 00:23:30,123
One of the great things
about Songbirds is
480
00:23:30,147 --> 00:23:32,149
we have all these guitars
481
00:23:32,193 --> 00:23:35,239
where people could walk in
and experience,
482
00:23:35,283 --> 00:23:38,460
or maybe be brought back
to that very moment in time,
483
00:23:38,504 --> 00:23:41,594
like we were just discussing,
where, uh...
484
00:23:42,029 --> 00:23:44,727
Just like seeing an old car can
remind you of your honeymoon.
485
00:23:45,293 --> 00:23:48,035
And the great thing
about it is that, you know,
486
00:23:48,078 --> 00:23:50,472
although the guitars, many of
the guitars were behind glass,
487
00:23:50,516 --> 00:23:53,823
it didn't mean you couldn't play
cool old guitars. You could.
488
00:23:53,867 --> 00:23:55,651
We would literally
take guitars out of cases
489
00:23:55,695 --> 00:23:57,044
and put it in people's hands.
490
00:23:57,697 --> 00:24:00,830
That was one of the great things
about Songbirds,
491
00:24:00,874 --> 00:24:04,094
was the fact that
as a guest there,
492
00:24:04,138 --> 00:24:05,922
you could really be involved.
493
00:24:09,535 --> 00:24:12,363
Once the idea of Songbirds
was announced to the public,
494
00:24:12,407 --> 00:24:14,888
the first thing... the first
response we started to get
495
00:24:14,931 --> 00:24:17,717
from everybody was,
whose guitars do you have?
496
00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:19,370
Do you have Elvis' guitars?
497
00:24:19,414 --> 00:24:21,214
You have this guy's guitar?
That guy's guitar?
498
00:24:21,460 --> 00:24:24,158
And that was really not what
Songbirds was about.
499
00:24:24,201 --> 00:24:27,814
Songbirds... the heroes of this,
of this museum are really
500
00:24:27,857 --> 00:24:30,991
the guitars themselves
and the guys behind
501
00:24:31,034 --> 00:24:33,167
the original classic designs.
502
00:24:33,210 --> 00:24:37,127
People like Ted McCarty,
Leo Fender, George Fullerton,
503
00:24:37,432 --> 00:24:40,391
uh,
Freddie Tavares, Don Randall.
504
00:24:40,435 --> 00:24:43,220
These were guys that really
helped design these guitars,
505
00:24:43,264 --> 00:24:44,570
get 'em out to the public,
506
00:24:44,613 --> 00:24:46,615
and, of course, you know,
well, of course,
507
00:24:46,659 --> 00:24:48,487
the great musicians
that played 'em,
508
00:24:48,530 --> 00:24:50,690
but it was really about
the instruments themselves, uh.
509
00:24:50,924 --> 00:24:52,621
It wasn't about who owned them.
510
00:24:53,143 --> 00:24:56,669
That being said, we got
so many responses like that,
511
00:24:56,712 --> 00:24:59,323
I think there was a little
sense of panic early on
512
00:24:59,367 --> 00:25:01,978
and we went out and acquired
a bunch of guitars,
513
00:25:02,022 --> 00:25:04,503
just to satisfy that need
for some people.
514
00:25:04,546 --> 00:25:07,549
So we do have
one showcase here filled
515
00:25:07,593 --> 00:25:09,420
with some celebrity-owned
guitars.
516
00:25:09,464 --> 00:25:11,248
That being said,
we do have guitars
517
00:25:11,292 --> 00:25:12,902
throughout this collection
518
00:25:12,946 --> 00:25:14,991
that were owned
by famous guitar players
519
00:25:15,035 --> 00:25:17,341
that we never advertise,
or put a sign up,
520
00:25:17,385 --> 00:25:18,778
'cause when we bought them,
521
00:25:18,821 --> 00:25:20,475
we didn't buy them
with that intention,
522
00:25:20,519 --> 00:25:22,608
and we want to do the right
thing by the performers.
523
00:25:22,651 --> 00:25:24,491
We weren't trying to make
money off their name.
524
00:25:24,523 --> 00:25:27,482
So we did have instruments,
did not speak about it.
525
00:25:27,526 --> 00:25:28,657
Uhh.
526
00:25:29,310 --> 00:25:30,616
But over here,
we've got a guitar
527
00:25:30,659 --> 00:25:32,182
owned by Roy Orbison
at one point,
528
00:25:32,226 --> 00:25:34,837
a Strat that was owned
and signed by Buddy Guy.
529
00:25:35,577 --> 00:25:38,058
One of my favorite bands
growing up was The Doors.
530
00:25:38,101 --> 00:25:41,235
This was a Les Paul
owned by Robby Krieger,
531
00:25:41,627 --> 00:25:43,716
early Les Paul
with the SG body style,
532
00:25:43,759 --> 00:25:46,545
owned by Robby Krieger,
signed by him,
533
00:25:46,849 --> 00:25:49,809
a Jazzmaster
signed by Bo Diddley.
534
00:25:50,418 --> 00:25:51,854
And on the other side,
535
00:25:51,898 --> 00:25:53,618
we've got some more
we could take a look at.
536
00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:56,119
And on this side over here,
537
00:25:56,163 --> 00:25:58,513
we've got one of our
prized possessions,
538
00:25:58,557 --> 00:26:02,386
one of Chuck Berry's ES 355s,
father of rock-and-roll.
539
00:26:03,257 --> 00:26:06,434
Uh, Paul Burlison was in a group
called the Rock and Roll Trio.
540
00:26:06,477 --> 00:26:09,089
They did the original version
of Train Kept A-Rollin',
541
00:26:09,132 --> 00:26:10,612
an early rockabilly group.
542
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:15,704
This was his '52 Les Paul,
signed by him.
543
00:26:15,748 --> 00:26:19,403
Carl Wilson, The Beach Boys,
his Epiphone 12 string.
544
00:26:19,665 --> 00:26:21,971
Now, again, earlier
we spoke about the influence
545
00:26:22,015 --> 00:26:23,669
The Beatles had on everybody,
546
00:26:23,712 --> 00:26:25,714
and the Beatles
using that electric 12.
547
00:26:25,758 --> 00:26:27,629
And, shortly thereafter,
The Beach Boys
548
00:26:27,673 --> 00:26:29,936
would use a 12 string
in many of their hits.
549
00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:31,981
Carl Wilson would play
those parts.
550
00:26:33,374 --> 00:26:38,858
A beautiful 1960 Faded 'Burst
that was owned by John Fogerty.
551
00:26:39,380 --> 00:26:42,209
And one of the Dick Dale's
original Stratocasters,
552
00:26:42,252 --> 00:26:45,429
is the father of surf rock,
the amazing Dick Dale.
553
00:26:52,523 --> 00:26:54,743
The notoriety, and probably
554
00:26:54,787 --> 00:26:57,703
the thing most recognizable
about Songbirds was the museum.
555
00:26:57,746 --> 00:26:59,835
But it doesn't put aside
the fact that
556
00:26:59,879 --> 00:27:03,012
it was an amazing venue,
both upstairs and down.
557
00:27:03,056 --> 00:27:04,623
The person behind booking
558
00:27:04,666 --> 00:27:06,886
all the talent,
both nationally and locally,
559
00:27:08,017 --> 00:27:09,932
was Chattanooga's unsung hero,
560
00:27:09,976 --> 00:27:12,456
and that is my very good friend,
Mr. Mike Dougher.
561
00:27:13,980 --> 00:27:16,722
My role at Songbirds
has been talent buyer.
562
00:27:17,548 --> 00:27:20,856
Initially, it started out
putting some small shows
563
00:27:20,900 --> 00:27:24,077
in, uh, the museum space,
564
00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:28,516
uh, leaning towards...
great guitarists,
565
00:27:28,559 --> 00:27:32,694
and then it sort of expanded
into other people
566
00:27:33,739 --> 00:27:35,871
and other styles of music,
567
00:27:35,915 --> 00:27:39,309
and then it expanded even more
to Songbirds South
568
00:27:39,353 --> 00:27:42,008
where we could do
larger shows down there.
569
00:27:42,051 --> 00:27:44,140
How do you have
the instruments and not have
570
00:27:44,184 --> 00:27:46,012
music surrounding them?
Live music?
571
00:27:46,490 --> 00:27:50,886
I, I have played thousands
of bars and venues
572
00:27:50,930 --> 00:27:53,193
across the country
as a musician,
573
00:27:53,236 --> 00:27:55,761
and there was
a lot of bad places
574
00:27:55,804 --> 00:27:57,371
and a lot of good places.
575
00:27:57,414 --> 00:28:00,461
That is made up
of a cool vibe in the venue,
576
00:28:00,504 --> 00:28:02,942
but the staffs treat you poorly.
577
00:28:03,333 --> 00:28:05,727
Then there was other venues
that the venue was really poor,
578
00:28:05,771 --> 00:28:07,381
but the staff treated you great.
579
00:28:07,424 --> 00:28:09,228
You know, there was
all these hybrids of those.
580
00:28:09,252 --> 00:28:10,708
And I thought,
if we're going to do this,
581
00:28:10,732 --> 00:28:12,908
based on my experience,
we're going to...
582
00:28:12,952 --> 00:28:14,320
We're going to try and check
every box.
583
00:28:14,344 --> 00:28:15,955
And that's how it got here.
584
00:29:21,324 --> 00:29:23,109
Well, that's the other end
of this museum.
585
00:29:23,152 --> 00:29:25,348
I mean, one thing was the...
Was the guitars, the museum,
586
00:29:25,372 --> 00:29:27,026
and what we were bringing
in that respect.
587
00:29:27,374 --> 00:29:29,376
The other thing is
the live music scene
588
00:29:29,419 --> 00:29:30,551
we brought to Chattanooga.
589
00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:40,735
Uh, all the showcases in
the middle of the room
590
00:29:40,779 --> 00:29:42,781
we get moved over
into the timeline.
591
00:29:42,998 --> 00:29:45,914
We would put 200 seats out
and it was like seeing
592
00:29:45,958 --> 00:29:47,568
a show in a big living room.
593
00:29:58,274 --> 00:30:01,321
There is no greater collection,
and to be able to work in
594
00:30:01,364 --> 00:30:04,803
the middle of it, for artists
to come in and play
595
00:30:04,846 --> 00:30:07,762
in the middle of it, they would
come offstage stage saying,
596
00:30:07,806 --> 00:30:11,374
"I knew I had to bring
my A-game because I could feel
597
00:30:11,418 --> 00:30:13,159
and sense the history
in the room,
598
00:30:13,202 --> 00:30:16,553
and I had to step up,
to meet... to meet the challenge
599
00:30:16,597 --> 00:30:18,904
of all those guitars.
It's pretty cool.
600
00:30:29,697 --> 00:30:32,526
Playing at Songbirds,
knowing you're surrounded by
601
00:30:32,569 --> 00:30:38,358
the single most impressive
collection of guitars, um,
602
00:30:38,401 --> 00:30:41,927
in the world was
an amazing thing.
603
00:30:42,753 --> 00:30:45,582
I am delighted to have
played on that stage,
604
00:30:45,626 --> 00:30:47,846
played in that room,
played in that air.
605
00:30:56,245 --> 00:31:00,380
We've had everybody play here,
from Vince Gill, to Dick Dale,
606
00:31:00,423 --> 00:31:03,818
to Tommy Emmanuel to John 5.
607
00:31:04,253 --> 00:31:08,605
Keith Carlock, Dennis Chambers,
Billy Cobham, Dave Weckl.
608
00:31:08,867 --> 00:31:10,738
We kept building up.
609
00:31:10,999 --> 00:31:15,221
Uh, we would bring in an artist
and then that would give us
610
00:31:15,264 --> 00:31:18,920
an idea to bring in a, maybe,
a better or more important
611
00:31:18,964 --> 00:31:20,356
or more interesting artist.
612
00:31:21,096 --> 00:31:27,363
We went from someone like,
oh, say, um, a Dick Dale
613
00:31:27,407 --> 00:31:31,193
to having the courage
to bring in John 5
614
00:31:31,237 --> 00:31:32,891
from Rob Zombie's band,
615
00:31:33,369 --> 00:31:35,284
which terrified me to no end.
616
00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:48,080
Uh, he was debating whether
to play Nashville,
617
00:31:48,123 --> 00:31:50,517
which he normally would do,
or come here.
618
00:31:50,778 --> 00:31:53,955
The reason he played here
was because of all of
619
00:31:53,999 --> 00:31:56,218
the wonderful guitars
that are here.
620
00:31:56,262 --> 00:31:59,047
Um, what a tool to have.
621
00:31:59,091 --> 00:32:01,615
It's like, yeah,
do we have a green room?
622
00:32:01,658 --> 00:32:03,878
Yeah, it's worth
about $4 million,
623
00:32:03,922 --> 00:32:05,967
so don't spill
your beer on anything.
624
00:32:06,315 --> 00:32:09,623
My impressions of Songbirds
is as an entity.
625
00:32:09,884 --> 00:32:12,060
From the collection,
to the foundation,
626
00:32:12,104 --> 00:32:15,934
to the venue is always been
music-friendly,
627
00:32:15,977 --> 00:32:18,588
musician friendly, you know?
628
00:32:18,632 --> 00:32:21,852
And the live venue was just
an extension of that.
629
00:32:21,896 --> 00:32:23,376
Now, one of those things
630
00:32:24,377 --> 00:32:28,207
about Songbirds that
always struck me was
631
00:32:28,250 --> 00:32:30,165
the attention to detail,
and, like, they wanted
632
00:32:30,209 --> 00:32:32,602
the audience
to have a great experience,
633
00:32:32,646 --> 00:32:34,493
they wanted the artists
to have a great experience.
634
00:32:34,517 --> 00:32:38,086
You know, when you see a guy
like Joe Bonamassa be impressed,
635
00:32:38,826 --> 00:32:41,742
then you did something good.
636
00:32:42,221 --> 00:32:45,267
And, uh, if there's ever
any affirmation needed,
637
00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:48,357
I'll check that box off
a while back with Joe.
638
00:32:49,445 --> 00:32:53,014
But I hate to mention too many
bands independently.
639
00:32:53,058 --> 00:32:55,036
Jerry Douglas, I know he was
a big one, but you know,
640
00:32:55,060 --> 00:32:57,845
there's... to me,
I think the coolest part,
641
00:32:58,454 --> 00:33:00,195
and I'm not saying this
to be correct,
642
00:33:00,239 --> 00:33:02,763
I'm not saying this to, to
be anything other than truthful,
643
00:33:02,806 --> 00:33:06,506
seeing all the local bands have
a place to play was cool.
644
00:34:24,975 --> 00:34:30,590
Working with the local musicians
is always important to me.
645
00:34:31,069 --> 00:34:35,073
Um, I think it's part of our
mission to include them
646
00:34:35,116 --> 00:34:37,292
in everything that we do here.
647
00:34:37,597 --> 00:34:42,210
So we can bring in, um, Steve
Earle or someone like that,
648
00:34:42,471 --> 00:34:46,388
and then also bring in
Campbell Station
649
00:34:46,432 --> 00:34:47,955
or The Afternooners,
650
00:34:47,998 --> 00:34:51,959
because they need to know
how to act professional,
651
00:34:52,002 --> 00:34:55,354
dress professional,
how to do a soundcheck,
652
00:34:55,397 --> 00:34:58,139
how to learn all of those steps,
to be a better band.
653
00:34:58,183 --> 00:35:02,796
And we really believe
deeply in helping
654
00:35:02,839 --> 00:35:04,972
the young bands learn
how to be better.
655
00:35:05,233 --> 00:35:07,540
We can lead 'em all the way up,
at the end of the day,
656
00:35:07,583 --> 00:35:09,368
they've got to do
their good work on stage.
657
00:35:38,310 --> 00:35:41,139
The people in Chattanooga
were always aware that
658
00:35:41,182 --> 00:35:44,664
they had a chance to come
play here, and it's a big deal.
659
00:35:44,707 --> 00:35:46,144
I mean,
we're a professional outfit.
660
00:35:46,187 --> 00:35:47,841
It's a big deal
to come play here.
661
00:35:53,063 --> 00:35:55,805
I don't think it would be
a stretch for me to speak
662
00:35:55,849 --> 00:35:58,808
for all the artists here in
Chattanooga by saying that
663
00:35:59,244 --> 00:36:02,203
the opportunity that Mike and
Songbirds and the team gave us,
664
00:36:02,247 --> 00:36:04,510
the platform,
the stage to perform on,
665
00:36:04,553 --> 00:36:06,273
the things that
we were able to be around...
666
00:36:08,035 --> 00:36:09,993
um, we will be eternally
grateful for that.
667
00:36:10,037 --> 00:36:11,908
And this is a stamp
on the music scene
668
00:36:11,952 --> 00:36:13,910
that won't ever go away.
669
00:36:42,765 --> 00:36:44,637
So, we're out here
on Station Street.
670
00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:46,963
We're about to close down our
final show here at Songbirds.
671
00:36:46,987 --> 00:36:48,423
And we can't help but feel
672
00:36:48,467 --> 00:36:50,295
an enormous amount
of gratitude to the fans,
673
00:36:50,338 --> 00:36:53,689
and to the people that
supported us over the years,
674
00:36:54,124 --> 00:36:56,083
and we're really grateful
for the opportunity
675
00:36:56,126 --> 00:36:57,824
to be able to meet new people.
676
00:36:57,867 --> 00:37:00,609
And it's been an amazing ride,
we're very grateful
677
00:37:00,653 --> 00:37:02,533
for everything that, uh,
everyone's done for us.
678
00:37:15,885 --> 00:37:18,888
Back in the late 1940s,
Leo Fender had a company
679
00:37:18,932 --> 00:37:20,499
called Radio and Television
Equipment,
680
00:37:20,542 --> 00:37:24,329
and he basically did radio
and TV repairs
681
00:37:24,372 --> 00:37:27,027
and came out
with a lap steel guitar.
682
00:37:27,332 --> 00:37:29,595
The electric Spanish guitar
would come later.
683
00:37:29,899 --> 00:37:31,771
Starting in late 1949,
684
00:37:31,814 --> 00:37:34,295
the development for what was
basically... basically
685
00:37:34,339 --> 00:37:35,490
the guitar I'm holding
right here,
686
00:37:35,514 --> 00:37:37,211
which is the Telecaster started.
687
00:37:37,559 --> 00:37:39,213
It started as the Broadcaster,
688
00:37:39,257 --> 00:37:42,129
until they received
a cease and desist letter
689
00:37:42,172 --> 00:37:44,305
from the Fred Gretsch
Manufacturing Company
690
00:37:44,349 --> 00:37:46,655
who made a drum kit
called the Broadcaster.
691
00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:49,267
Leo was forced
to change the name.
692
00:37:49,310 --> 00:37:50,529
At that time,
693
00:37:50,572 --> 00:37:52,835
they took the broadcaster
decal off
694
00:37:52,879 --> 00:37:56,099
and started to call the guitars
the Nocaster around the factory
695
00:37:56,143 --> 00:37:58,493
until they came up with
a new name for the guitar.
696
00:37:58,537 --> 00:38:00,408
When a new name
was decided upon,
697
00:38:00,452 --> 00:38:02,410
it was called the Telecaster,
698
00:38:02,454 --> 00:38:04,456
based on the fact
that television was now
699
00:38:04,499 --> 00:38:06,327
the new rage
throughout the country.
700
00:38:07,197 --> 00:38:09,025
These are wonderful
playing guitars.
701
00:38:09,591 --> 00:38:13,203
They feature solid rock
maple necks, and ash bodies,
702
00:38:13,247 --> 00:38:16,511
with...
truly unbelievable tone.
703
00:38:17,077 --> 00:38:20,298
And although they made
thousands of these instruments,
704
00:38:20,341 --> 00:38:23,083
they're still one of the most
sought-after instruments
705
00:38:23,126 --> 00:38:25,520
that collectors look for today.
706
00:38:40,143 --> 00:38:41,971
When I hear guys like
Joe Bonamassa,
707
00:38:42,015 --> 00:38:43,625
I mean I get it.
I get that.
708
00:38:43,669 --> 00:38:46,454
And, uh, and John 5,
John Lowery's his name.
709
00:38:46,498 --> 00:38:47,586
He's a good friend of mine.
710
00:38:48,064 --> 00:38:51,372
But he genuinely loves,
loves the guitar.
711
00:38:51,416 --> 00:38:53,113
And when you're there,
he's like,
712
00:38:53,156 --> 00:38:55,855
"I can't wait to tell my friends
about this." And, uh...
713
00:38:55,898 --> 00:38:58,901
When you walk into Songbirds,
714
00:38:58,945 --> 00:39:03,689
it was packed
with premium Fender, Gibson,
715
00:39:03,732 --> 00:39:06,431
a lot of, like, um,
716
00:39:06,474 --> 00:39:10,522
like, interesting custom order
Gibsons that have somebody's
717
00:39:10,565 --> 00:39:13,002
name in the fingerboard
and, you know,
718
00:39:13,351 --> 00:39:17,659
strange colors and,
and very, very cool stuff.
719
00:39:18,268 --> 00:39:20,967
And then,
you got to the back room.
720
00:39:22,316 --> 00:39:24,405
That's when all
the funny-shaped guitars
721
00:39:24,449 --> 00:39:27,756
start coming out:
The Flying Vs, the Explorers,
722
00:39:28,496 --> 00:39:32,021
and stuff that
I'd only seen in books.
723
00:39:32,544 --> 00:39:36,461
I mean, the Rosewood Strat,
you know?
724
00:39:37,592 --> 00:39:38,792
That would've went to Hendrix.
725
00:39:54,479 --> 00:39:56,002
This is solid rosewood.
726
00:39:56,263 --> 00:39:59,397
It's the only one Fender
ever made from 19...
727
00:39:59,614 --> 00:40:01,224
It's dated 1969,
728
00:40:01,268 --> 00:40:04,314
though they didn't finish
making this until 1970.
729
00:40:05,490 --> 00:40:07,927
Uh, this came about
when they decided to do
730
00:40:07,970 --> 00:40:11,626
a limited run of solid rosewood
Fender Telecasters.
731
00:40:11,974 --> 00:40:15,325
In 1968, they would start
to build these Telecasters,
732
00:40:15,543 --> 00:40:17,327
and the very first one would
go to
733
00:40:17,371 --> 00:40:18,981
George Harrison of The Beatles.
734
00:40:19,025 --> 00:40:21,375
If you've ever seen
a film clip of The Beatles
735
00:40:21,419 --> 00:40:24,683
on the rooftop playing "Get
Back" from the movie Let It Be,
736
00:40:24,726 --> 00:40:27,425
George is playing
his solid rosewood Telecaster.
737
00:40:27,947 --> 00:40:29,949
They decided to make us
some Strats.
738
00:40:30,210 --> 00:40:32,125
This was the only one
that was ever finished,
739
00:40:32,168 --> 00:40:35,781
And this first one was intended
to go to Jimi Hendrix.
740
00:40:36,085 --> 00:40:38,479
He passed away
before it was ever finished
741
00:40:38,523 --> 00:40:41,482
so it never left the factory,
it stayed at the factory,
742
00:40:41,526 --> 00:40:43,223
and it ended up in the...
743
00:40:43,266 --> 00:40:45,486
I believe Fender had a guitar
museum for a short while
744
00:40:45,530 --> 00:40:46,922
in the early 80s.
745
00:40:48,533 --> 00:40:50,360
And then it was eventually
sold by Fender.
746
00:40:51,492 --> 00:40:53,015
So this is a one of a kind,
747
00:40:53,842 --> 00:40:56,149
initially intended for
the great Jimi Hendrix.
748
00:41:01,154 --> 00:41:03,765
What you get when you come here
that's different
749
00:41:03,809 --> 00:41:05,506
than any other collection
in the world,
750
00:41:05,550 --> 00:41:08,422
is you get to see the actual
building of history,
751
00:41:08,466 --> 00:41:10,772
as far as the electric guitar
is concerned,
752
00:41:10,816 --> 00:41:13,558
and the very first prototypes
of Leo Fender,
753
00:41:13,601 --> 00:41:16,256
to many employee-built
guitars from Gibson
754
00:41:16,299 --> 00:41:19,651
to see how their own takes
may have been on
755
00:41:20,478 --> 00:41:22,828
certain instruments
that came into production.
756
00:41:23,176 --> 00:41:25,439
We hold the prototypes,
and we hold the history
757
00:41:25,483 --> 00:41:27,789
much more than
the manufacturers do.
758
00:41:27,833 --> 00:41:29,530
They destroyed so many
of their records,
759
00:41:30,052 --> 00:41:31,837
but we have
their living records here.
760
00:41:31,880 --> 00:41:34,883
And, and the idea that when
you can walk through this place,
761
00:41:35,144 --> 00:41:39,018
for most people, the main
reaction we get is, "wow,
762
00:41:39,061 --> 00:41:40,933
we didn't even know they
ever did that before."
763
00:41:40,976 --> 00:41:42,543
And it's like we have not just
764
00:41:42,587 --> 00:41:44,327
a piece of paper saying
they did it,
765
00:41:44,371 --> 00:41:46,895
we have the actual instrument.
That's important to us.
766
00:41:47,330 --> 00:41:50,986
I always said... I always told
everybody who was going to go
767
00:41:51,030 --> 00:41:53,249
to Songbirds, they're like,
"what's it like?"
768
00:41:53,293 --> 00:41:57,036
and I'd go, "They make me
look like a hobbyist."
769
00:41:57,602 --> 00:42:00,561
And... and it was...
It's the greatest collection
770
00:42:00,605 --> 00:42:03,390
I've ever seen and I was just
happy to see it in my lifetime
771
00:42:03,433 --> 00:42:06,959
because, you know, the fact
that it was so complete,
772
00:42:07,002 --> 00:42:14,314
and so, like, absolutely 100%,
you know,
773
00:42:14,357 --> 00:42:17,447
curated to the highest order,
spare no expense,
774
00:42:17,491 --> 00:42:19,928
and nobody's
ever going to do that again.
775
00:42:19,972 --> 00:42:22,975
That's a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to see that.
776
00:42:23,671 --> 00:42:25,412
Well, I hope people
will remember it
777
00:42:25,455 --> 00:42:26,892
and will be talking about it.
778
00:42:26,935 --> 00:42:29,111
I think anybody who was...
Who was, uh...
779
00:42:29,155 --> 00:42:30,785
I don't know if that's
the right word to use...
780
00:42:30,809 --> 00:42:33,072
But smart enough
to make it here early on
781
00:42:33,115 --> 00:42:34,769
and get to experience it,
782
00:42:34,813 --> 00:42:36,684
I think they'll be talking
about it forever.
783
00:42:37,206 --> 00:42:39,097
Again, there's nothing else
like this anywhere in the world,
784
00:42:39,121 --> 00:42:42,472
and I don't think that...
I hate to say never,
785
00:42:42,690 --> 00:42:45,911
but it'll be, probably, a long
time before anything else
786
00:42:45,954 --> 00:42:47,826
on this kind of level
pops up again,
787
00:42:47,869 --> 00:42:49,436
though I hope it does somewhere.
788
00:42:49,479 --> 00:42:51,046
Well, this collection's
super special
789
00:42:51,090 --> 00:42:52,874
because there's nothing
like it in the world.
790
00:42:52,918 --> 00:42:54,765
Nobody's gonna be, probably,
dumb enough to put something
791
00:42:54,789 --> 00:42:56,835
like this together again,
truth be known.
792
00:42:56,878 --> 00:42:59,620
I mean, this is like...
This is... this is
793
00:42:59,664 --> 00:43:02,971
vulnerability meets passion,
meets having a lot of money.
794
00:43:03,406 --> 00:43:04,862
I mean, that's...
At the end of the day,
795
00:43:04,886 --> 00:43:06,540
I don't know how else to say it.
796
00:43:06,584 --> 00:43:08,890
With all due respect,
it's... it is those things.
797
00:43:08,934 --> 00:43:12,720
And you will never see,
in my opinion,
798
00:43:12,764 --> 00:43:15,114
anything like this again, uh,
799
00:43:15,157 --> 00:43:16,898
at least for the foreseeable
future.
800
00:43:17,682 --> 00:43:20,510
It's... it's just
a phenomenal collection
801
00:43:20,554 --> 00:43:26,429
and the opportunity to be a
piece of letting it be seen,
802
00:43:26,734 --> 00:43:29,519
and been responsible for
the home that it's living in
803
00:43:29,563 --> 00:43:32,566
to a degree is, you know,
it's an overwhelming honor.
804
00:43:34,786 --> 00:43:36,657
We were really hitting
our stride
805
00:43:36,701 --> 00:43:38,528
to where I felt like
we were reaching
806
00:43:38,572 --> 00:43:41,183
a level that had never been
reached before in Chattanooga.
807
00:43:41,575 --> 00:43:45,013
Um, that's one of the sad parts
of, of leaving all this,
808
00:43:45,057 --> 00:43:50,062
is because, um, my goal here
was to create this... the...
809
00:43:50,845 --> 00:43:53,282
The best small venue
in the country.
810
00:43:53,805 --> 00:43:57,373
I had all these wonderful
guitars, all these amps,
811
00:43:57,678 --> 00:43:59,332
all these wonderful tools.
812
00:43:59,637 --> 00:44:03,684
And so with that, I was able
to bring in all these artists
813
00:44:03,728 --> 00:44:06,905
and each time we brought in
a certain level artist,
814
00:44:06,948 --> 00:44:10,343
it allowed us to go a little
higher, and a little higher,
815
00:44:10,386 --> 00:44:11,779
and a little higher.
816
00:44:11,823 --> 00:44:15,696
And, uh, I think as people
look back on us,
817
00:44:15,740 --> 00:44:19,526
they'll realize just how
incredibly high we got
818
00:44:19,569 --> 00:44:22,050
with the talent level
that we brought in.
819
00:44:22,094 --> 00:44:26,489
It's really hard to do to get
that, that level to come in
820
00:44:26,533 --> 00:44:29,492
on a consistent basis in a town
the size of Chattanooga,
821
00:44:29,536 --> 00:44:31,190
it just is,
822
00:44:31,233 --> 00:44:33,081
when they can play Nashville
if they want, or Atlanta.
823
00:44:33,105 --> 00:44:35,847
So to kind of steal 'em away
was part of our goal.
824
00:44:35,890 --> 00:44:37,631
I think we did
a, a good job with that.
825
00:44:37,892 --> 00:44:42,592
I mean, their focus was,
was beyond a guitar collection.
826
00:44:43,115 --> 00:44:45,639
But to be able to pass
that on to the generation...
827
00:44:45,683 --> 00:44:50,035
Not only, uh, the love
of the, of the instruments
828
00:44:50,078 --> 00:44:52,864
that changed music,
like the Stratocaster
829
00:44:52,907 --> 00:44:55,388
and the Les Paul,
all that type thing,
830
00:44:55,431 --> 00:44:57,912
and some of the Gretsch guitars
that The Beatles played,
831
00:44:57,956 --> 00:45:00,959
and all that kind of stuff,
but, uh...
832
00:45:01,002 --> 00:45:03,483
it's one thing
to know the history of it,
833
00:45:03,526 --> 00:45:05,180
it's another thing
how to play one.
834
00:45:06,007 --> 00:45:08,140
And that's where
I was so impressed,
835
00:45:08,183 --> 00:45:10,577
to put in the hands
of a young person
836
00:45:10,620 --> 00:45:13,536
would never be able
to even touch a guitar.
837
00:45:13,580 --> 00:45:16,278
We need to continue
to promote the guitars
838
00:45:16,322 --> 00:45:18,846
so the next generation
understands that these are
839
00:45:18,890 --> 00:45:20,630
more than just sticks of wood,
840
00:45:20,674 --> 00:45:23,764
because if we fail,
they're just firewood.
841
00:45:24,417 --> 00:45:25,853
And if we succeed,
842
00:45:25,897 --> 00:45:28,116
then a whole new generation
goes forward
843
00:45:28,160 --> 00:45:29,814
playing
these beautiful instruments,
844
00:45:29,857 --> 00:45:32,773
and we always let people
play instruments here.
845
00:45:32,817 --> 00:45:35,950
These... they look like they're
all just locked up behind glass,
846
00:45:35,994 --> 00:45:38,736
but we have always let people
play instruments here.
847
00:45:38,779 --> 00:45:41,695
There is no thrill
better for me,
848
00:45:41,739 --> 00:45:43,784
than having a young guy
who plays guitar,
849
00:45:43,828 --> 00:45:45,893
and putting a half million
dollar guitar in his hands
850
00:45:45,917 --> 00:45:48,136
and just seeing that photograph
when you...
851
00:45:48,180 --> 00:45:50,965
When the wife is standing,
ready to take that iPhone pic,
852
00:45:51,009 --> 00:45:54,752
and he's mugging for the camera
like he's Jimmy Page,
853
00:45:54,969 --> 00:45:57,406
that is just the best thing,
I can tell you.
854
00:45:57,450 --> 00:45:59,321
And that makes it all
worthwhile for me.
855
00:46:05,501 --> 00:46:06,807
So, earlier this year,
856
00:46:06,851 --> 00:46:10,898
my father... my dad passed away.
857
00:46:10,942 --> 00:46:13,596
And, um, and it was a really
special time for our family
858
00:46:13,640 --> 00:46:15,773
'cause I got to be with him,
859
00:46:15,816 --> 00:46:19,689
um, got to hold his hand,
and, um, be with my family
860
00:46:19,733 --> 00:46:22,518
whenever he passed,
and it went peacefully.
861
00:46:22,867 --> 00:46:25,130
But I had to go away,
had to be away from here
862
00:46:25,173 --> 00:46:27,654
for... um, for several weeks.
863
00:46:28,524 --> 00:46:31,527
And, uh, when
I came back to Chattanooga
864
00:46:32,877 --> 00:46:36,924
after being there that whole
time, the first thing I did,
865
00:46:38,534 --> 00:46:41,276
which didn't make
my wife very happy, um,
866
00:46:41,320 --> 00:46:43,713
was I dropped her off
at the house,
867
00:46:43,757 --> 00:46:44,845
hadn't even unpacked.
868
00:46:46,151 --> 00:46:48,022
I dropped her off
and drove right over here.
869
00:46:48,806 --> 00:46:50,633
Um, it was on
a Sunday afternoon,
870
00:46:50,677 --> 00:46:52,331
the place is open
for ten more minutes.
871
00:46:52,592 --> 00:46:54,594
But, um, I had to come here.
872
00:46:54,637 --> 00:46:56,509
I had to come be here,
'cause this is just such
873
00:46:56,552 --> 00:46:59,991
a special place that
I love so much.
874
00:47:00,034 --> 00:47:02,732
And after losing,
having that great loss,
875
00:47:02,776 --> 00:47:05,083
the first thing I wanted to do
when I got back,
876
00:47:05,126 --> 00:47:06,519
just had to do it,
was come here.
877
00:47:06,911 --> 00:47:09,174
And, uh, to know it's not going
to be here anymore,
878
00:47:09,217 --> 00:47:10,697
um, man it sucks.
879
00:47:10,740 --> 00:47:12,960
There was a young lady
that was in Siskin
880
00:47:13,004 --> 00:47:15,354
that we worked with quite a bit.
881
00:47:16,572 --> 00:47:18,531
And she was terminal,
and we knew it.
882
00:47:19,314 --> 00:47:22,535
But music and guitar brought
her a lot of joy and, uh,
883
00:47:23,666 --> 00:47:25,364
she was released
from the hospital
884
00:47:25,407 --> 00:47:27,540
so she could live her last days.
885
00:47:27,583 --> 00:47:29,324
Uh, and she was turning 16,
886
00:47:29,368 --> 00:47:30,888
and she chose to spend
a birthday here.
887
00:47:32,762 --> 00:47:35,156
So we brought her in and, uh...
888
00:47:35,200 --> 00:47:37,419
And we kind of...
I don't remember how it worked,
889
00:47:37,463 --> 00:47:39,744
but we all pitched in and bought
her an additional guitar,
890
00:47:39,769 --> 00:47:41,641
like, an electric guitar
I think it was.
891
00:47:41,684 --> 00:47:44,084
And we gave it to her as her
birthday present from Songbirds.
892
00:47:44,818 --> 00:47:46,515
And it just so happened
the same day
893
00:47:46,559 --> 00:47:47,797
that Marty Stuart
and Fabulous Superlatives
894
00:47:47,821 --> 00:47:49,214
were playing in town,
895
00:47:49,257 --> 00:47:50,887
and they came down
to check out the museum.
896
00:47:50,911 --> 00:47:53,740
And so all the guys
came in and surrounded her
897
00:47:53,783 --> 00:47:56,264
at her 16th birthday party
she was having here.
898
00:47:56,308 --> 00:47:58,745
Um, and they, uh...
899
00:48:04,925 --> 00:48:07,362
They sang the song Let Us Have
a Little Talk with Jesus.
900
00:48:08,842 --> 00:48:10,626
"Let us tell Him
all about our troubles,
901
00:48:10,670 --> 00:48:12,910
He will hear our faintest cry,
and He answer by and by."
902
00:48:15,936 --> 00:48:16,981
So that was a good one.
903
00:49:15,909 --> 00:49:19,347
All right!
I'll take a hug.
904
00:49:24,918 --> 00:49:26,528
This place, and I don't...
905
00:49:26,572 --> 00:49:28,574
I don't say this with
any amount of hyperbole,
906
00:49:28,617 --> 00:49:30,968
this place is the coolest
place in the universe.
907
00:49:31,272 --> 00:49:33,883
Being the curator of something
like this,
908
00:49:33,927 --> 00:49:36,495
being an officer here
is something that...
909
00:49:37,887 --> 00:49:40,194
It's bigger than life to me,
you know?
910
00:49:40,238 --> 00:49:42,762
I, I really looked
at my life simply
911
00:49:42,805 --> 00:49:44,938
as pedaling sticks
of wood for the last,
912
00:49:45,243 --> 00:49:50,596
you know, 35 years and, um,
having something like this is
913
00:49:50,639 --> 00:49:51,945
just the cherry on top for me.
914
00:49:52,380 --> 00:49:55,122
Everybody in the community
and the, you know,
915
00:49:55,166 --> 00:49:58,038
the local cities that would
come here on a regular basis,
916
00:49:58,082 --> 00:49:59,997
people that traveled from
around the world,
917
00:50:00,040 --> 00:50:03,174
everybody that came here
for shows, to see the museum
918
00:50:03,217 --> 00:50:06,046
or for whatever, we,
we couldn't thank you enough
919
00:50:06,090 --> 00:50:09,136
for your support
and, uh, for the praise
920
00:50:09,180 --> 00:50:11,060
and the great reviews
we would get all the time.
921
00:50:11,095 --> 00:50:12,574
We can't thank you enough.
922
00:50:12,618 --> 00:50:14,552
Yeah, I wanna, you know,
obviously thank everybody
923
00:50:14,576 --> 00:50:16,293
that came through Songbirds,
anybody that dropped
924
00:50:16,317 --> 00:50:19,799
one nickel here or, you know,
925
00:50:19,842 --> 00:50:22,932
made one post on Facebook
or made one post on Instagram.
926
00:50:23,411 --> 00:50:24,934
I mean, you guys made us.
927
00:50:24,978 --> 00:50:27,502
The fans are who made us.
We built it for you.
928
00:50:28,025 --> 00:50:31,506
We had a great team
and we did great work.
929
00:50:32,377 --> 00:50:34,683
Uh, I walk away from this
930
00:50:36,250 --> 00:50:39,775
extremely proud of what we've
accomplished. Extremely proud.
931
00:50:40,124 --> 00:50:41,777
It's only three years,
932
00:50:41,821 --> 00:50:44,084
we were knockin' 'em dead.
Pretty happy with that.
933
00:50:55,487 --> 00:50:56,836
Okay, are you ready?
934
00:50:57,358 --> 00:50:59,099
I got the thumbs up!
935
00:52:10,083 --> 00:52:12,216
Hey, Irv Berner.
How ya' been?
936
00:52:12,259 --> 00:52:13,521
Dave Davidson, good to see you.
937
00:52:13,565 --> 00:52:15,088
Good to see you, too.
938
00:52:18,961 --> 00:52:20,746
What's been going on
in Chattanooga
939
00:52:20,789 --> 00:52:22,008
over the past few months?
940
00:52:22,051 --> 00:52:23,575
The cases are all empty.
941
00:52:23,618 --> 00:52:25,751
All the guitars have been
shipped out, as you know.
942
00:52:26,230 --> 00:52:28,580
And, uh, yeah,
it's kind of strange.
943
00:52:29,233 --> 00:52:31,191
Yeah, it's hard to know...
You don't even know
944
00:52:31,235 --> 00:52:33,628
that it happened that way,
you know?
945
00:52:33,672 --> 00:52:35,282
But, you know,
mounting expenses,
946
00:52:35,326 --> 00:52:37,154
it costs a tremendous amount
of money to run
947
00:52:37,197 --> 00:52:38,677
a place like that every month.
948
00:52:39,025 --> 00:52:40,679
I mean, when you think
about everything
949
00:52:40,722 --> 00:52:43,986
from the security,
to the electrical,
950
00:52:44,030 --> 00:52:46,424
to all the employees,
and all the health care costs,
951
00:52:46,467 --> 00:52:49,078
and everything else... the rent,
when you're done,
952
00:52:49,383 --> 00:52:51,864
you're spending probably
$20,000, $25,000 a month
953
00:52:51,907 --> 00:52:53,300
just to keep the place open.
954
00:53:09,098 --> 00:53:11,258
So let me ask a question.
Now that the museum's closed,
955
00:53:11,405 --> 00:53:13,190
what's the process
with these guitars?
956
00:53:13,233 --> 00:53:15,540
You know, some of them are
being shipped now over here
957
00:53:15,583 --> 00:53:17,672
to New York where you get 'em.
958
00:53:17,716 --> 00:53:19,979
Where does it go from there?
959
00:53:20,022 --> 00:53:22,111
When the decision was made that
960
00:53:22,155 --> 00:53:24,244
the museum was going to close,
961
00:53:24,288 --> 00:53:26,507
one of the biggest questions
we had to answer is what
962
00:53:26,551 --> 00:53:27,900
happens to all the guitars?
963
00:53:28,901 --> 00:53:32,034
This was not an easy decision
for anyone.
964
00:53:32,078 --> 00:53:35,690
I mean, for me, personally,
my personal involvement
965
00:53:35,734 --> 00:53:39,433
of putting this collection
together for more than 20 years
966
00:53:39,477 --> 00:53:41,305
really came into play,
967
00:53:41,348 --> 00:53:45,874
and could I really even fathom
the idea of breaking it up?
968
00:53:48,268 --> 00:53:50,270
Initially, we drove out,
969
00:53:50,314 --> 00:53:53,230
brought home 300-and-something
guitars in one trip.
970
00:53:53,273 --> 00:53:55,144
- Yeah.
- But then we decided
971
00:53:55,188 --> 00:53:57,843
to get down to a fact
where, um, you know,
972
00:53:57,886 --> 00:54:00,193
now we ship
several guitars a week,
973
00:54:01,499 --> 00:54:04,545
either through different
carriers to keep it, you know,
974
00:54:04,589 --> 00:54:07,418
spread out a little bit, and we
receive the guitars here, uh,
975
00:54:08,332 --> 00:54:11,509
and then once the guitars are
set up and out on the wall,
976
00:54:11,552 --> 00:54:16,383
we decide, you know, through
our social media, mostly,
977
00:54:16,427 --> 00:54:17,950
we get the word out about
978
00:54:17,993 --> 00:54:20,039
which guitars
are available for sale
979
00:54:20,082 --> 00:54:22,607
and people
come through and, you know,
980
00:54:22,650 --> 00:54:24,304
call about
what they're interested in.
981
00:54:24,348 --> 00:54:25,958
It's a pretty smooth process.
982
00:54:26,350 --> 00:54:27,873
So, every guitar you get,
983
00:54:27,916 --> 00:54:30,702
you basically set up,
re-strung and, uh...
984
00:54:31,616 --> 00:54:34,053
Every single guitar goes through
985
00:54:34,096 --> 00:54:37,317
a re-authentication process and
I'm going to tell you why.
986
00:54:37,361 --> 00:54:38,623
Okay.
987
00:54:40,059 --> 00:54:41,689
Certain standards have changed
within our business
988
00:54:41,713 --> 00:54:44,455
over the past 20-some-odd years,
okay?
989
00:54:44,498 --> 00:54:47,632
And it makes us always
want to go back, now, where
990
00:54:47,675 --> 00:54:50,374
we take everything apart
and photograph every...
991
00:54:50,678 --> 00:54:53,028
All the internal components
of every guitar, okay?
992
00:54:53,072 --> 00:54:55,093
That was something that really
wasn't done back then.
993
00:54:55,117 --> 00:54:57,206
We kind of took a look,
and we put it back together.
994
00:54:57,250 --> 00:54:59,687
But the customers have
become more savvy,
995
00:54:59,731 --> 00:55:03,430
and they want more proof,
which is totally fine.
996
00:55:03,474 --> 00:55:05,998
So, what we're going to do now
is we're going to look here
997
00:55:06,041 --> 00:55:08,566
and we're going to
see a body date.
998
00:55:08,914 --> 00:55:14,093
And then, if you look closely,
you'll see TG for Tadeo Gomez,
999
00:55:14,136 --> 00:55:17,575
okay, who did a lot of early
production work for Fender,
1000
00:55:17,618 --> 00:55:21,666
and you'll see the date:
10/31/51.
1001
00:55:21,709 --> 00:55:25,757
So October 31st, so this is
a Halloween special right here.
1002
00:55:25,800 --> 00:55:28,281
Okay?
On the neck,
1003
00:55:28,325 --> 00:55:30,588
we look at the neck date,
and the neck date,
1004
00:55:30,631 --> 00:55:36,376
usually very close by, says TG,
for Tadeo Gomez, 11/7/51.
1005
00:55:36,420 --> 00:55:38,500
Now I'm going to try and give
you an angle of that...
1006
00:55:39,423 --> 00:55:41,163
so you can see it.
1007
00:55:41,207 --> 00:55:43,296
Hopefully you can get
that on the camera.
1008
00:55:43,340 --> 00:55:46,908
Okay. So that
is your neck date.
1009
00:56:10,454 --> 00:56:13,021
Now, some might think that
this was a sad story.
1010
00:56:13,065 --> 00:56:14,675
It's, in fact, anything but.
1011
00:56:15,328 --> 00:56:16,721
This was the story of something
1012
00:56:16,764 --> 00:56:18,375
that probably
never should have been,
1013
00:56:18,418 --> 00:56:21,334
something far beyond
most people's imagination.
1014
00:56:21,595 --> 00:56:24,642
This museum was one of those
rare moments in time.
1015
00:56:24,685 --> 00:56:28,341
For a short, short while, we had
something truly special here.
1016
00:56:28,950 --> 00:56:31,649
The guitars spoke to you,
they took you on a journey
1017
00:56:31,692 --> 00:56:33,912
to a more
innocent time in music,
1018
00:56:34,173 --> 00:56:37,263
American history, and for many,
their own life.
1019
00:56:37,916 --> 00:56:40,832
Though it was cut short,
the life of this museum
1020
00:56:40,875 --> 00:56:43,443
is something that should be
celebrated and remembered.
1021
00:56:45,314 --> 00:56:47,142
Though the museum itself
will not reopen,
1022
00:56:47,186 --> 00:56:50,668
the space is being taken over
by the Songbirds Foundation,
1023
00:56:51,320 --> 00:56:54,759
where it will reopen later this
year as an educational center.
1024
00:56:56,151 --> 00:56:58,458
The classic instruments
that were on display here
1025
00:56:58,502 --> 00:57:00,373
have once again gone back
to their owners
1026
00:57:00,417 --> 00:57:02,810
where they continue
to be maintained,
1027
00:57:02,854 --> 00:57:04,595
restrung and set up.
1028
00:57:05,117 --> 00:57:06,771
At that point,
they are once again ready
1029
00:57:06,814 --> 00:57:08,773
to be played and appreciated
1030
00:57:08,816 --> 00:57:11,297
as they were intended to be
from the beginning.
1031
00:57:11,340 --> 00:57:14,474
At the end of the day, these
instruments were the tools
1032
00:57:14,518 --> 00:57:16,911
that let guitar players
sing through their fingers.
1033
00:57:17,390 --> 00:57:21,438
You could say, in the right
hands, these were songbirds.
1034
00:58:27,460 --> 00:58:30,637
I wrote a song that I call
"Guitar Poor".
1035
00:59:08,980 --> 00:59:11,678
And I thought about Songbird
so many times
1036
00:59:11,722 --> 00:59:14,115
when I play that song,
I thought, boy, talk about
1037
00:59:14,159 --> 00:59:16,988
being guitar poor,
we're actually guitar rich.