HANK RETURNS TO THE STAGE OF THE RYMAN AUDITORIUM the original home of the Grand Ole Opry.
It was for the concert movie “Heart of Gold.”
Once owned by Hank Williams, he last played it at the Opry in 1952. Fifty-three years later, Neil brought the D-28 home to sing again.
“Hank” is a 1940 Martin D-28 with Brazilian rosewood back and sides, herringbone trim and scalloped braces. Most people consider these pre-war Martins the best acoustic guitars ever made.
How did it come to live with Neil? As the story goes, Tut Taylor (from GTR) got it from Hank Jr. in a trade for some very rare and valuable hunting rifles. Neil’s friend Grant Boatwright facilitated getting it to Neil. The first time I met “Hank” was in the mid ‘80s. I was in Neil’s living room soon after he got the guitar and saw this faux-alligator case on the floor. He said, “Go ahead, pick it up.” I lifted the guitar from the case and strummed it. I swear I could feel vibes coming from it.
Neil has used it on many tours and recordings and in my opinion, it is one of the best sounding guitars I have ever heard. For amplification, I installed stereo F.R.A.P. pickups and it is strung with light gauge .012-.054 to standard tuning, but sometimes with a dropped D (low E tuned to D).