It's hard to imagine many players have more widely influenced how the acoustic guitar is used in American music than Doc Watson. With an extensive knowledge of traditional American music, Doc was a master of both fingerstyle and flatpicking. His innovative approach to the instrument has impacted generations of musicians across a wide variety of genres. Finding an instrument capable of going where Doc needed it to was certainly a tall order, but Doc began playing a Gallagher G-50 in 1968. In 1974, J.W. Gallagher delivered the first Doc Watson Model. Since then, Gallagher has produced many great-sounding instruments worthy of the "Doc Watson Signature" badge. This 2005 Gallagher Doc Watson features an Adirondack Spruce top and Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. In the tradition of the Doc Watson model, its body is a subtle variation of the classic dreadnought shape, and this one has a cutaway to provide access into the upper register. Under the hood, you'll find scalloped X-braces, but its two tone bars are not scalloped and uniquely positioned (relative to conventional bracing designs). The result is a voicing that performs well as you transition from fingerstyle to flatpicking techniques. Its tone is powerful, warm, and still cutting, more than capable of breaking through the mix of any string band. Herringbone purfling and a herringbone rosette provide familiar, traditional appointments, and a hand-carved Rosewood arm rest allows for a comfortable playing experience. Doc learned to play fiddle tunes on an old Les Paul, so this one has jumbo frets, a 1-3/4" nut width, and a slightly rounded modified V neck profile. This 2005 Gallagher Doc Watson is in Excellent condition all around. It shows some minor playwear, and at some point, a strap button hole was filled inside the cutaway. There are a few minor cosmetic blemishes (couple of top dings, see photos), but it's pretty clean overall. A Fishman pickup was installed and continues to work as it should! There is also a strap button on the back of the heel. Original case included!
