The summer of 1997 I spent my weekends beginning the restoration of the Roy Acuff collection. See some photos of the Martin Guitar Repair Shop and read comments from Dick Boak, Martin Guitars and Brenda Colladay, Curator of the Collection.

“When Dan Blom came to inspect the collection in April of 1997, what he found was a group of instruments on the verge of destruction. During the summer of 1997, Dan took up weekend residence in the museum where he proceeded to rescue the most critical of the victims.”

“One concern that I had in hiring a professional luthier to restore the collection was that the job of a luthier is to repair instruments to a playable state. Many of the instruments in the Acuff Collection are much more important for their historical significance than for their sound, due to their association with country music artists. This concern was certainly unfounded, because Dan had an immediate understanding of our need to leave things as original as possible, while repairing past and preventing future damage. Even so, because of his careful and conscientious work, most of the instruments that Dan restored are fully playable as well as historically sound.”

“Probably the two most damaged instruments in the collection were a 1969 Martin D-45 and Webb Pierce’s custom-made Gay. The D-45 had been mounted in a shallow exhibit case, just inches from fluorescent lights, and the finish had become incredibly faded. The ultra-violet rays had actually pickled the lacquer on the headstock. Dan managed to find and restore, under the ugly, greenish, crackled finish, the beautiful Brazilian Rosewood.”

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“Though the sound quality of Canadian guitar-maker, Frank Gay’s creations from the early 1950’s may be somewhat dubious, their appearance epitomizes the look of the golden age of honky-tonk music. The abundance of inlay and free-form headstocks were the perfect accompaniment for the spangled and embroidered Nudie suits worn by the likes of Carl Smith, Faron Young, and Webb Pierce.”

“Webb Pierce’s Gay, which is a part of the Acuff collection, suffered more than any other instrument from poor storage conditions, largely due to what Dan described as less than perfect construction methods. The strings had been at full tension for who knows how many years, and the neck had collapsed into the sound hole.

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Also, a previous repair splice at the back of the headstock had warped and pulled away. Due to the swelling and shrinking of the wood, several pieces if inlay were missing as well.”

BEFORE	AFTER
BEFORE	AFTER
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“Dan wrestled with this guitar for many hours. But when he finish, it was restored to all of its flashy splendor. this guitar is one of the few that remains unplayable, but it looks great, and that is why this particular instrument was created in the first place! Other instruments in the collection that Dan really brought back to life include a 1935 Martin F-9, an early 1930’s Stromberg, and a 1936 D’Angelico Excel.”

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“The amount of progress Dan has made in restoring the collection is amazing, especially given the condition in which he found it. Hopefully, more if the collection will receive his attention, for though most of the instruments will be moved into storage during the construction of Opry Mills, the restoration project will continue. I, for one, do not want anyone else to touch the Roy Acuff Instrument Collection.”

"I've known Dan since his formative years when he graduated from Red Wing Technical College with a degree in instrument restoration and repair. Since then he has been an active member of the Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (A.S.I.A.). He gained a tremendous amount of hands-on experience at the world renowned Gruhn Guitar Shop in Nashville, Tennessee, and he eventually headed up the Repair Department there. Now he's out on his own doing first rate repair work, including the careful preservation and restoration of the priceless Roy Acuff Collection at Opryland USA. Dan has done a remarkable job and he certainly can be considered at the top of his craft."