Meet David Mathis of Gallagher Guitar

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Mathis. 

Hi David, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I grew up in a neighboring county to Wartrace Tennessee, the birthplace of Gallagher Guitar Co. I learned my first guitar chords from a man who played a 1967 Gallagher G-50. I eventually owned my own Gallagher G-50. In May of 2019, when I learned that the company had closed it seemed really sad. It wasn’t long after that I begin considering approaching the Gallagher family, Don and Stephen, about selling the company so that we could continue the brand. We officially opened for business on January 1, 2020. 

The man who taught me my first chords on his Gallagher, Ray, recently came to the shop to visit. Neither of us could have imaged that his G-50, and later my G-50, would lead to my being the owner and shepherd of Gallagher Guitar Co. I now understand that I was ready for a new chapter in my life as I was nearing the end of my professional life as a Licensed Psychologist. Well, I found it. 

While my intention was to find a way to keep the company and the shop going, I soon found that Gallagher Guitars and the family of Gallagher guitar owners was much more significant than even I understood. We are continuing a Tennessee company with craftsman who are skilled and passionate about their work. Each guitar is a shared creation by everyone in the shop. It conveys our attention to the details and significance of our guitars. We build some of the finest guitars in the world that bring pleasure to players and listeners alike. We build happiness. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I did my share of research by talking to a variety of people about the recent history of Gallagher as well as challenges that I could anticipate. Most of those things have been true and I felt fairly well prepared for them. I did not, like everyone else, expect a pandemic. Just as we were getting our shop established with personnel and procedures, COVID came onto the scene. The festivals and trade shows that we had anticipated all disappeared. Not exactly welcome news when you are trying to relaunch a company. We wanted people to play our guitars and see and hear for themselves that we are again building great guitars. 

In hindsight, that slowdown provided additional time to focus on the process of building our guitars. It afforded time for study and refinement to help get us to where we are today. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Gallagher Guitar Co. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Gallagher Guitar Co. started in 1965. It was started by J.W. Gallagher and his 17-year-old son, Don. J.W. Gallagher had been a furniture maker of very fine, Queen Ann-style furniture. He was recruited by a nearby factory to help develop a production line for guitars. That venture did not last very long but it was the start for J.W. to understand guitars and then to begin his own shop. He wanted to build guitars like his furniture, of the highest quality. It has been said that Gallagher Guitar Co. was the first true boutique guitar company. 

In 1968 J.W. met Doc Watson at a music festival and the rest is history. Doc loved his Gallagher G-50, which became known as Olé Hoss, and played it on the “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” album. Merle Travis was overheard on a hot mic telling Doc that his guitar “rings like a bell.” In 1974 Gallagher began the Doc Watson model that was designed by Doc and Merle Watson. It remains our best-selling guitar. 

We offer a full range of hand-made guitars from parlors to Jumbos. We have our stock models but we also build custom order guitars to meet the exact needs of players and artists. Many artists have played Gallaghers over the years as do many artists today. 

What do you like and dislike about the city?
One of our early decisions was that we wanted our shop to be closer to the public and to artists. Thus, we relocated the shop from Wartrace to Murfreesboro. We enjoy being part of downtown Murfreesboro. We offer educational tours of our shop and the guitar building process. We also have a music venue, Gallagher Unplugged, to provide live music for the community and opportunities for artists to share their talents. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://www.gallagherguitar.com/
• Instagram: gallagherguitarco
• Facebook: @GallagherGuitar
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0YKyD5jNi6VNESZgMNFwew