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| photos by Brian Wawzeneck |
My heart went out to the people of Tennessee in early May 2010, who had experienced a torrent of rain and floods for two straight days, driving people out of their homes, drowning landmarks and causing millions of dollars of damage in its wake. As a music lover, my heart sank even furthur to hear that the Grand Ole Opry House, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and the Gibson Guitar USA factory in Nashville had suffered some terrible damage, as well.
But, as Bryan Wawzeneck, international editor for Gibson Lifestyle blog, had said, "Sometimes great beauty can be found in the strangest of places and under the most horrible of circumstances."
The Gibson USA factory, located in Nashville, Tennessee, the plant which crafts the esteemed and highly reputed Les Paul and SG guitar models, was ravaged by flood waters, leaving many guitars still left to be finished unsalvageable. The receding waters revealed much damage that was heartbreaking to the staff and luthiers that had worked so painstakingly on these instruments, only to have them destroyed beyond rescue. The seemingly endless destruction of months of hard work wasn't the only thing revealed - in the finishing department, where many guitars were stored to dry after paint and laquer were applied, the receding waters left an unexpected inspirational mark.
