Encyclopedia Britannica gives credit to 16th century Spain.

Other historians say guitars came from other parts of the world much earlier than that.

One thing we do know for certain is that there are some folks out there who still make guitars the old world way.

There is a company in Asia that can crank out 60 guitars a minute.

Meanwhile, in a little corner of America, there is still a place that makes 60 a year.

That's incredible thing.

This is the story of Gallagher Guitars.

War Trace Tennessee Population 6 51 Half a century back, this shop was home to a talented Cabinet maker named J.

W.

But he was itching for a new way to show off his skills with Would he only gets so much mass enjoyment out of a really nice dresser, right?

That's true because of musical Instrument has a soul to it.

So as the Sun Don tells it, J.

W switch to guitars, and a couple years later, he'd built to one of them cracked but Don still convinced his dad to drive to a music festival and display them from the trunk of her car.

It was raining.

It was muddy.

Continuously of Hell's Angels came tooling.

Yeah, there were five.

Break down a little over the place.

Have you heard some thinking under a shade tree?

It was Doc Watson, the blind virtuoso of bluegrass, inventor of the flat pick and style.

JW screwed up his courage, walked over to the master and offered up his rookie creation.

He really liked the sound of a guitar, and Dead says, Well, you know, it's I'm sorry.

It's got a cracking it, We can't really sell it and docks Response.

Social Shuck, son.

It's the sound I'm interested in.

I can't see the crack anyhow.

That guitar became old Horse, toured the world and put Gallagher on the map.

But despite the buzz, they've only made a few 1000 since.

Same spot, same method.

The sweat of your brow is literally in every now.

Absolutely yeah, sometimes bloody sleep on.

Yet their basic model sells for around 3000 bucks cheaper than some comparable factor guitars.

Their marketing plan, word of mouth, their bookkeeping software, an actual book.

They have survived knock off counterfeiters and takeover bids and exotic wood shortages.

And when the EPA force the industry to use a safer but inferior lacquer, Don nearly went out of business because he honored his warranty by re finishing a year's worth of guitars himself.

Being principled is really lousy for business really is.

But it's rough.

Have integrity.

I don't know about that.

What kept you going?

What?

It was just a determination.

I mean, there's something about ah, family business, something about with your name on the product that you want to make it as well as you can.