Stephen Gallagher in the workshop with some new guitar bodies

Hippies Tom Bedell and Chad Corley visited J.W. Gallagher & Sons guitar workshop in Wartrace, TN recently. It was impossible to leave without some new guitars for our shop!

We got a taste of the rich Gallagher Guitars history, from the story of how Doc Watson got his Gallagher, to the super-secret almost unknown fact that Johnny Cash also owned a Gallagher — in black, of course — that went missing for several years before resurfacing.

As it turns out, J.W. Gallagher & Sons have been making guitars by hand since 1965 (great year), using much of the same equipment J.W. Gallagher custom built for his needs in the workshop. They’ve recently been featured on Tennessee Crossroads (view the segment here) and in Fretboard Journal magazine. And they’re still making the same top-quality instruments, doing it the right way three generations on. Gallagher Guitars are pretty selective about who they let carry their instruments, so we here at Two Old Hippies are honored to get the opportunity to share the awesome tone and playability of these guitars. You can find them in The Vault at our Nashville store or online at twooldhippiesguitars.com

Stephen Gallagher, Tom Bedell, and Don Gallagher

As you can see, doing things right is simply a small town tradition, like they say at Gallagher, “Expertly Crafted by Southern Hands.” Keep an eye on this space for more videos and pictures from the trip, as well as some new custom Gallaghers we have being built special for us!

Kenny Loggins stopped by our store in Nashville to take home his new Bedell MB-24-G Guitar. It’s a beautiful cedar top / rosewood back & sides; the projection and string balance on this one are incredible. We installed a Fishman Infinity pickup (yes, we do that!), and this little beauty just sings.

We have these awesome Bedell Guitars at both our Nashville and Aspen locations, including the new USA-made models that are impeccably appointed and a real joy to play. We think they compare favorably to any of the top brands out there! You can also give us a call or visit our website to find out more.

Tom Bedell and Kenny Loggins

After trying out his Bedell, Kenny stuck around and chatted with Tom Bedell and some of the staff also. Be sure and check out Kenny’s group, Blue Sky Riders.

Jonathan Brown performing live at Two Old Hippies Nashville. Click the TV play button to watch video.

‪The Nadas Performing at Belly Up, in Aspen Colorado‬

‪The Band, the Nadas, playing a few songs at Two Old Hippies‬ Aspen. Playing Bedell Guitars.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THIS GUITAR IN OUR WEB STORE

This as a beautiful guitar that continues to be one of Lowden’s most popular models. As George Lowden states: “The O23 has become a great favorite for its deep resonant and complex tone …. rather like a slightly mellower version of the O22. Sweet, warm, clear, quite light and yet complex.” – Our guitar has a AAA Cedar top along with a stunning Walnut back and sides. Lowden uses Gotoh 503 machine heads for their durability and overall quality. This is a great representation of Lowden’s work.

“You guys are playing at Two Old Hippies? Wait, they have a stage?”

Since we opened back in September, this has been the biggest shocker to most of our customers. Not only are we merging clothing and instruments, we have a stage that turns Two Old Hippies into one hip Nashville venue.

Not just you’re average spot in the corner where the band sets up, the Two Old Hippies stage is equipped with a JBL front of house speaker system, four monitors with independent mixes, an intelligent lighting rig, and a backline fit for the Beatles (with Billy Preston)!

We’ve already had some amazing performances here at 2OH, including Phil Keaggy, Keb Mo’,The McCrary Sisters, Guthrie Trapp,  Gene Miller, and an amazing Birthday Celebration for Chester Thompson!

Check out our performance calendar on our TOH Calender of Events Page!

We currently have live music from 5pm-7pm every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and an open mic for kids 17 and under on Sundays from 1pm-4pm. If you’re interested in booking a performance at Two Old Hippies, please contact Melissa Erlanger.

Come down and rock out with us at Two Old Hippies in the Gulch, where it’s always about peace, love, and Rock ‘n Roll!

Still very much a Batson, in design, this “Nashville Model” brings in some of the more traditional elements of the throw-back Martins. This Custom Batson Parlor Model is made with Adirondack Spruce and Brazilian Rosewood. It has a shallower body than normally found on a Batson guitar and, keeping with the theme of the model Vince loved so much, its Mahogany neck is a 12-fretter with a vintage V-shape. This guitar also features Ebony binding and a super comfortable bevel. This Nashville Model comes with a Cedar Creek custom-fit case with built-in climate control.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THIS GUITAR IN OUR WEB STORE

All ‘Dem Hippie Guitars…

My name is Bill Neale. As guitar manager for Two Old Hippies Nashville store, I am privileged to have the opportunity of buying guitars for both locations (Nashville and Aspen) and developing relationships with the finest luthiers in the world.  Some of these artisans include George Lowden, Cory Batson, Robin Boucher and Donald and Stephen Gallagher, to name a few.  For my first post, I’m going to give you a run down of each builder…

Lowden: George Lowden has been building world class acoustic guitars since the 70’s.  He and his small team of luthiers are based in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland and produce some of the most sought after guitars worldwide.

Batson: Cory Batson is based right here in Nashville. His designs are innovative, with craftsmanship that is second to none. One of the unique style differences in Batson guitars versus other acoustic guitar manufacturers is the elimination of the sound hole on the top. They use a side-sound port. Different right? But it works!

Boucher: These beautiful guitars are built in Quebec, Canada in Robin Boucher’s workshop which is located along the St Lawrence river. It’s also interesting to note that Boucher’s shop is surrounded by a forest of Adirondack Spruce. As a result, they have an unlimited supply of high quality wood for their instruments and they also supply Adirondack to many guitar manufacturers throughout the world.

Donald and Stephen Gallagher: Gallagher Guitars have been building limited quantities of high quality acoustic instruments since 1965 in Wartrace, Tennessee. (As you may be able to tell by now, we like to support Tennessee builders when possible). Gallagher is known for the Doc Watson Model and we are excited to be their exclusive dealer in Nashville.

That’s about it for now, folks… Next time I will discuss Two Old Hippies brands, Breedlove and Bedell and will have some exciting updates being that the NAMM show (National Association of Musical Merchants) has just concluded.

Everything about the Bedell OH-12-GS

Hi, This is Chad at Two Old Hippies in Nashville. The Bedell OH-12-GS is one of my favorite guitars. I love small body guitars and this little parlor from Bedell is no exception. The solid African sapele top, back and sides afford a rich, warm tone that complements finger-style guitar playing. The OH-12-GS is a little bigger than most parlor guitars making it great for strumming or finger picking. It has a slotted headstock which not only looks great but provides more bearing pressure over the nut for more punch and sustain. The 1.75″ nut width is extremely comfortable in the hand and is what most finger-style players prefer.

I have played much more expensive guitars from many manufacturers but this little beauty is hard to beat. The binding and rosette are all solid wood, and the bridge, fret board and headstock veneer are ebony. This guitar is also available with a Sitka spruce top (OH-18-GS)  if you want a brighter tone. It comes with a deluxe hard shell case.

Stop by Two Old hippies in the Gulch and try one out for yourself. Or, check one out here online:

http://www.twooldhippies.com/bedell-performance-oh-12-gs-parlor-acoustic-guitar