Guitarmaker Perfects His Instrument

Over the Labor Day weekend, 44 young musicians participated in an instrumental competition at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax. The winners in four categories -- guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo -- took home coveted prizes: instruments hand-crafted by local luthiers. Nick Keen, 15, of East Bend, N.C., won what had to be considered the big prize -- a Wayne Henderson guitar, the 373rd made by the blue-jean-clad Stradivarius of the steel-string guitar.

By contrast, Eric Clapton had to wait 10 years for his Henderson, an epic detailed in "Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument," by Wall Street Journal reporter Allen St. John. A Henderson normally goes for about $1,500, but one recently sold at auction for $31,500, and another resold for $100,000. The waiting list? It's long.

"When that book came out [last year], I was getting three, four orders a day, and I was telling them probably for sure I won't live long enough to make all those guitars," the 59-year-old Henderson joshes. "I do what I've always done -- make what I can and try to keep up with stuff the best I can, which I'm not very good at. What I'd really like to do is just sit here and make sawdust."

Henderson's shop is up the road a bit in Rugby (population 7). Working alone in a workshop a few steps from his house -- and a mile from where he was born -- Henderson produces about 20 instruments a year, mostly guitars inspired by classic prewar Martins and known for their exquisite tone, volume and resonance. When Henderson recently presented one to Doc Watson, the legendary guitarist sat and played it for two hours without saying a word.

Henderson is himself a world-class guitar player -- he has taken first place at the Old Fiddler's Convention a dozen times -- who doesn't care whether he's performing at Carnegie Hall or at a local VFW hall. Upcoming appearances include a Saturday appearance at this weekend's 30th annual Fall Festival at Grayson Highlands (see list on this page) and at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion on Oct. 7.