Eric Stone
Google
In May of 2024, I finished my ten year search for a "boutique" made acoustic with the purchase of a beautiful Gallagher SG-50 Special Edition, Appalachian red spruce over sinker mahogany, hand built guitar purchased through Bill Covington and the Fretted Buffalo, in Buffalo, New York. They are one of Gallagher's most recent dealers and Bill did a fine job of further acquainting me with the brand. I'd known of Gallagher for a number of years, but never had the opportunity to play one, having only come across two or three older examples, guitars made prior to the 2019 sale of the company to David and Reina Mathis. I had read about the acquisition right around the time it happened and had seen and heard nothing but good things about the company, post sale, so I had no reservations about the company changing hands and being operated by new management. After all, the new owners had been running the company for five years before I settled on buying one of their guitars. As far as I can tell, the company is in capable hands and has only grown to be as good or better than before. Gallagher is currently making more guitars than at any time in the history of the company while staying true to the original vision of making the best guitars available and still making them almost exclusively by hand. There have obviously been some changes to accommodate smart growth but some of J.W. Gallagher's original tools, molds, and specialized machines are still in use. The company has a new headquarters in Murfreesboro, in the heart of bluegrass country and just a stone's throw from its epicenter in Nashville.
My new BS-50 is everything a finely crafted guitar should be, with superior fit and finish, gorgeous aesthetics, and mounds of tone. It has a wide tonal spectrum with lows, mids, and highs represented in perfect proportion. The guitar came to me perfectly intonated and has stayed that way. Excellent note separation, incredibly nice overtones, powerful projection, and more sustain than any of my guitars, which include examples representing a number of high-end brands. I love this guitar! It will reside in my collection for as long as I'm around and will then be carefully handed down, as should any heirloom quality guitar.
My thanks to the team at Gallagher for building such exemplary instruments. In a world burgeoning with high-end guitars, it is my belief that your guitars are among the very best out there, providing the perfect definition to the term "boutique". I can't wait to try on the new Telecaster-style electric!