TREY HENSLEY them. It made me feel really weird. I’ ve won at IBMA, but I feel like that’ s a little bit different. If I can just make music and not be nervous, then I’ m happy. When I get nervous, that’ s when I’ m not happy.
When it comes to guitars, no one could accuse you of being monogamous. You play a lot of different makes, many of which would not be considered typical for a bluegrass player. Yeah, I think so. I remember that first trip to Nashville when I played the Opry. When Gibson was at the Opry Mills mall, I remember going over there and flatpicking on a J-200, and I loved it. And that’ s not typically what everybody plays. I love a Martin D-28 and a D-18 as much as the next guy. But I feel like there’ s so much— so many guitars. I just love it all. Jerry Douglas and I did the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 50th anniversary thing at the Country Music Hall of Fame a few years ago. I’ ve got this off-the-rack Gibson Dove Elvis model, and it sounds great for flatpicking. Would it be my first choice if I’ m going out in the middle of a field and need a big booming guitar that’ s gonna overpower a banjo? Probably not. But a lot of guitars that I love and own aren’ t those guitars.
Are there any special treasures in your collection? Yeah, I’ m actually the caretaker of one. The guy I took lessons from in East Tennessee— his name’ s G. C. Maddock— just an amazing guitar player. He had this old’ 67 D-35 with the Porter Wagoner pickguard on it that was direct from the factory. G. C. passed away recently, and his daughter gave me the guitar to be the caretaker of it. And that one’ s been really special. I’ ve got an old’ 50s D-28 that’ s kind of my guitar if I could have one guitar to take on a desert island. I got it when I was a kid— a family friend had sold it to me for what he bought it for. I’ ve got a Wayne Henderson 18-style that I love. It means a lot just to have one of Wayne’ s guitars. Eric Johanson, out in California built one for me that’ s got my family’ s name around the inlay. It’ s one of those that’ s so pretty that I don’ t ever tour with it because if something would happen to it, everybody would be upset with me. I received a Santa Cruz from
PHOTO CREDIT: CORA WAGONER
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