FROM THE EDITOR
Welcome
Dear Readers,
There are moments in the life of a publication when the material before us feels less like an issue and more like a watershed. This is one of those moments.
In these pages, we explore legacy from multiple vantage points— custodianship, craftsmanship, family, tone, and the enduring life of wood and wire once they’ ve passed through history’ s hands.
At the center of this edition stands the forthcoming Christie’ s auction of the Jim Irsay Collection. In“ The Hammer Is About to Fall,” we trace how instruments that once defined eras— from Gilmour’ s Black Strat to Cobain’ s Mustang, from Harrison’ s SG to Garcia’ s Tiger, from Cash’ s D-18 to McLean’ s 00-21— came to reside under one roof in Indianapolis.
More than an inventory of iconic lots, the story examines Irsay’ s philosophy of custodianship: that these objects were meant to move, to be played, to circulate, and to continue their work in the culture.
From there, we shift to a different kind of legacy in our expansive Project 91 feature with Chris Martin IV and Tim Teel. In a world obsessed with vintage, Martin asks a daring question: What if we build the pre-war D-45 again— not as nostalgia, but as living craft? The result is a study in scarcity, materials, research, and judgment, and in what it means to create a modern instrument that can stand shoulder to shoulder with history.
We also revisit deeply human stories of guitars as connective tissue. In“ A Guitar in the Family,” we honor the late Bob Weir with a story first published in Between the Strings— a reminder that sometimes the most meaning-
ful instruments are not the most expensive, but the ones that bridge bloodlines and time. We celebrate the enduring vitality of Tommy Emmanuel, whose life in motion carries Chet Atkins’ torch across continents. And we spend time with Trey Hensley— both in conversation and in Eric Dahl’ s review of his Taylor Gold Label 510e— examining how tradition evolves when it refuses to stay in one lane.
Across these features, a pattern emerges. Whether in an auction room, a Nazareth workshop, a Nashville stage, or a family living room, guitars are never static objects. They are vessels for narrative. They accrue story through touch, through risk, through devotion. They change hands. They change direction. And occasionally, they change us.
Thank you for joining us in this special edition. We are grateful for the builders, players, collectors, historians, and readers who continue to treat these instruments not merely as commodities, but as chapters in an ongoing story— one that began in American workshops but now resonates across continents.
With appreciation,
John Schroeter Editor & Co-Publisher, Collectible Guitar
4 | SPRING 2026