The Guitars of Country Music - Part One

Ken Burns' Country Music

Recently Ken Burn’s amazing documentary, ‘Country Music’ aired on PBS television. The show delved into the history of America’s own unique music, and explored how it began, and in eight episodes explained how it has arrived to present times.

From the point of view of a guitar historian, my eye caught the guitars used by each of the players.

The Carter Family

What follows is a brief view of the most important guitars from each episode, beginning with The Carter Family.

The Carter Family - Maybelle's first guitar

The earliest photos of guitarist Maybelle Carter, A.P Carter, and Sarah Carter show Maybelle playing a 1930’s Slingerland number 6, 000-sized flattop guitar.  Some resources say that she played a Stella guitar.


Slingerland and Stella guitars were both made by the Oscar Schmidt  Instrument Company.

Maybelle's 1928
Gibson L-5

However the guitar that “Mother Maybelle” is best know for was her 1928 Gibson L-5 archtop guitar.  She purchased this instrument once the family began earning money from their music. It cost $275 at the time. In 2004 it was put up for sale with a price tag of $575,000.

Carter tuned this guitar down as much as five frets, and capo’d the guitar. Perhaps it was to decrease the strings tension, or to keep the action lower.

She developed a sort of ‘claw-hammer’ style on the guitar that she called “The Carter Scratch”.

This method involved playing the melody line with her thumb, and a couple of the chord notes with the back of her first or pointer finger's nail, and then dragging her second and third fingers of the remaining chord notes.

The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle

Maybelle played this same guitar with the Original Carter Family, and then when the family called it quits, she played the L-5 with The Carter Sisters, and Mother Maybelle, a group that included her and her three daughters.

Will The Circle, Be Unbroken

She even used it on her final recording with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, that came to be titled, ‘Will The Circle, Be UnBroken’ after one of The Original Carter Family’s most famous songs.

Prior to its sale Maybelle's guitar had been on display at The Country Music Hall of Fame.

Jimmy Rodgers

Jimmy Rodgers was one of the most important songwriters in the history of Country Music. As a youth, he was a hellion. He left school in his early teens, hung around playing pool and gambling. To discipline him, Rodger’s father was able to get him a menial job working on the railroad doing whatever was needed. Eventually Rodgers land the role of brakeman. Due to the cold, damp and cramped conditions, Jimmy developed tuberculosis, and had to quit the railroad, but throughout his brief career he kept the title, 'The Singing Brakeman'.

Jmmy Rodgers

While he could no longer do labor, Rodgers was able play guitar and sing. When his health improved, he hooked up with a group of musicians that planned to travel around the country. They ended up in Bristol, Tennessee where music entrepreneur Ralph Peer was holding auditions, and recording musicians that Peer thought would be able to sell records. This was the same city, and place that he discovered The Carter Family.

While rooming at a hotel, the band members had a bitter disagreement and all left, but Rodgers, who decided that he would keep the audition. The rest is history.

Rodgers with Martin 00-18

Jimmy Rodgers played a variety of guitars through his career, which included a 1927 Martin 00-18.

Rodgers With His
Weymann Special 890 Guitar

When he started receiving royalties, he then purchased a very fancy 000-sized 12 fret instrument made by the Weymann Guitar Company.  This guitar had his name in mother-of-pearl script inlaid on the fretboard.

Reproduction of Rodgers
Custom Martin 000-45

After earning an extravagant about from royalties, he purchased a custom 1927 Martin 000-45 with a slotted headstock, that not only had his name emblazoned on the fretboard, but the words ‘Blue Yodel’ written on the headstock.

Jimmy Rodgers Martin 000-45

This guitar cost $1500 in 1927, and Rodgers proudly noted that in concert posters that he was appearing with the $1500 guitar. The label on the inside says "To Jimmie Rodgers, America''s Blue Yodeler, with all good wishes--C. Fredrick Martin III July 27, 1928."



Additionally inlaid on the instruments back were the words  THANKS, so Rodgers could flip it over when the audience applauded him.

Ernest Tubb with Jimmy Rodgers Martin

After his death, his widow lent the guitar to Ernest Tubb. Rodgers passed away from a pulmonary hemorrhage, resultant of tuberculosis. He was only 35 years old.

Lady with a Parlor Guitar

We are so used to having social media, access to television, online access, and immediate entertainment, that most of us do not recall or understand the only form of entertainment for those living in the the early 20th century and even before, was playing cards, playing games, or making music on their own instruments, and singing and dancing to that music. When radio became affordable, families would gather around the set, and listen to the many shows.

Playing a cheap guitar

Guitars were sold through music stores, however since many Americans were living in rural areas, most ordered instruments though catalogs.

1916 Silvertone Guitars from catalog

The average annual U.S. salary in the 1920’s was approximately $3200, however many farm worker brought home only around $10 a week.



The least expensive guitar in the 1916 Silvertone guitar catalog was $4.98, which equated to almost a week’s salary for some folks. However people managed to scrape together money to purchase guitars, fiddles, and banjos. Some folks may have inherited these instruments.

Times were rough, but got much worse when the stock market crashed in 1929. In the West, and Mid-Western United states, The Depression, is followed by a severe drought known as The Dust Bowl.

The Maddox family from Alabama was living through these hard times and decided there was no work in their home town. They sold all their belongings for $35, and decided to travel to California to search for work. When they finally made it there by walking and riding in railroad box cars, the only work they could find was as harvesters in the California fields. Mr Maddox decided they could make more money making music.

They went on to perform as The Maddox Brothers and Sister Rose. 

The Maddox Brother and Sister Rose

Cal Maddox was the groups guitar player. He originally played a Mahogany top Martin 00-18, and later a Martin 000-28. He also owned a Gibson ES-125 with a Charlie Christian pickup. 

The Maddox Brothers and Sister Rose

But Cal was best known for playing his electric Epiphone Deluxe Zephyr Regent. Perhaps their biggest contribution to music was as the first California ‘Hillbilly Group’ and perhaps the first ever ‘Rock-a-Billy’ group. They were also the first to wear fancy Western clothing, and boots. And they put on an outrageous stage act.

In the early 1920’s, a telegraph operator named Gene Autry worked the night shift, and in those lonely hours he kept himself entertained by singing and playing guitar. Unfortunately this got him fired.

So in 1928 Autry traveled to New York City and auditioned for Victor Records. Though he was turned down, the man auditioning him suggested that he gain experience by finding jobs singing on radio stations. He even gave him a letter of introduction. Autry took the advice, and within in a year he was signed by Columbia Records as The Yodeling Cowboy.

Gene Autry

By 1934, he became an actor in B grade cowboy movies, always singing and playing guitar after getting the bad guys. Gene Autry made over 100 films, and earned enough to purchase a ranch, that he renamed ‘Melody Ranch’, that he leased to film companies. He then made films for television.

Gene Autry 000-28 Martin

Autry exclusively played Martin guitars. At first he played a Martin 000-28.

Autry with Martin D-45 and Champion

But he is best known for playing his customized 12 fret slot head Martin D-45 that had his name in stylized script inlaid on the ebony fretboard.





Leonard Slye born in 1911 in a Cincinnati, Ohio home that was located in the same spot as Riverfront Stadium's second base is located now.

By the age of 19 he joined a group that later was known as The Sons of The Pioneers, in which he played guitar and sang.

The group eventually headed for California, where Slye got a job acting in B grade Western movies. He acted in a Gene Autry film under his own name as Gene’s adversary. Yes, Roy Rogers was once a bad guy. When Gene Autry demanded more money from his films, he was let go, and the film company began a search was on for a new singing cowboy.

Roy Rogers and Trigger

Leonard Slye got the job. He was given the screen name Roy Rogers, capitalizing on the name of the popular entertainer Will Rogers. Roy's life story is quite interesting.

Roger's Henry L Mason guitar

Roger’s first guitar was an archtop made by Henry L. Mason.

Roger's with Super 400

He later owned a Gibson Super 400., which was the company's top of the line model. Roger’s also played Martin guitars.

Roger's 00-28S

He owned a Martin 00-28S.

Roger's Martin OM-45 Deluxe

But Roy Rogers is best known for his 1939 Martin OM-45 Deluxe. The only embellishment on his personal OM model was a five-point Western star inlaid behind the bridge. There were only eleven examples of this guitar made that year.



In 1925 The National Life and Accident Insurance Company was looking for a way to reach more customers. The son of the companies owner was impressed with radio station WLS, which had it’s home in Chicago and was owned by The Sears and Roebuck Company. The WLS call letter stood for World’s Largest Store. The company was promoted on the station, and since it was a ‘clear channel’ station with a signal of 50,000 watts, it reached much of the Eastern United States.

The insurance company thought this would be a great strategy to sell life and casualty insurance. The company was given a government permit for a 50,000 watt clear channel station that would be run out of Nashville, with the call letters WSM for We Shield Millions.

The Grand Ole Opry in the 1920's

To compete with the WLS Barndance, WSM began their own ‘Hillbilly’ music program, that started as the WSM Barn Dance, and later came to be known as The Grand Ole Opry.

The bands that played in the early days of the show feigned at being ‘hillbillies’, though some of the members had professional employment for their daytime jobs.

Charlie and Bill Monroe

Bill and Charlie Monroe were among the original performers. Bill playing lightening fast mandolin, and Charlie Monroe playing guitar.

Charlie Monroe started playing a inexpensive guitar made by the Oscar Schmidt Company.

Charlie Monroe with D-28

Later played a 1940’s 'pre-war'  Martin D-28.

Charlie Monroe with Gibson SJ

Charlie Monroe also played a Gibson J-45 Deluxe.

Uncle Dave Macon and Dorris

One of the other original Opry performers was Uncle Dave Macon, who always performed with his son, Dorris. Yep, he named his son Dorris. Uncle Dave played banjo In a comedic style, while Dorris, played guitar accompaniment, and sang harmony.

Dorris Macon with Martin 00-18S

Dorris first played a 12 fret Martin 00-18S.

Dorris Macon with Martin 000-28

Later he played a Martin 000-28 on Opry shows.

The Delmore Brothers

Another group that were also original members of the Grand Ole Opry were The Delmore Brothers.  They had a string of popular recordings starting in 1933.

Alton Delmore with a Harmony Guitar
 photo is from Alamy

Alton Delmore played a variety of six string guitars, including a 00 slothead Harmony guitar.

Alton Delmore with 000-28

As they made money, he later acquired a Martin 000-28. Alton wrote the duo's songs.








Brother Rabon Delmore
played Martin tenor guitars.

Rabon Delmore with 0-18T

His first was an 0-18T brown-burst top guitar.

Rabon Delmore with Spruce 0-18T

Later on he played a Martin 0-18T with a spruce top. I cannot think of any other Country player that used a tenor guitar.

As the music changed, the instruments changed as well. We will look into those changes in Part Two of The Guitars of Country Music.

Click on the links under the pictures for sources. Click on the links in the text for further information.
©UniqueGuitar Publications (text only)