Bid to win this one of a kind handcrafted acoustic guitar from The President Carter Legacy Collection, recently played for President Carter’s 96th birthday by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. When she opened the guitar case, she was actually afraid to touch the instrument, it was so beautiful. The instrument comes with a hard case and certificate of authenticity signed by President Carter.
This unique guitar was painstakingly handcrafted by Minnesota-based luthier Drew Heinonen, partially from Empress (Paulownia) wood grown on President Carter's farm in Plains, Georgia.
Heinonen was thrilled when asked to make a guitar for President Carter, one of only three acoustic guitars in The President Carter Legacy Collection. As a former canoe guide in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota, he wanted to acknowledge the man who, while President, signed into law the expansion and preservation of the area.
The pristine waterways and sweeping white spruce forests had brought Drew, his family, and the people he led, so much pleasure, he wanted to return the favor. When Drew was offered wood from a spruce tree that had fallen just outside the boundaries of the Wilderness Area, he decided to use it as the face of the guitar he was building with the Paulownia grown on President Carter’s farm. What could be more unique, an instrument made from two different sources of lumber: one grown by President Carter and the other preserved by him while he was President?
The 8 stringed eight instruments in the President Carter Legacy Collection were commissioned to honor the 39th President of the United States' commitment to building a sustainable future. Not only was he the first man to put solar panels on the roof of the White House, he pioneered the farming of a non-invasive variety of Paulownia in the United States. Paulownia is one of the world’s fastest growing hardwoods; a tree that reaches maturity in as little as 10 years and regrows from the stump multiple times without replanting, making it a truly renewable resource. As the stringed instrument industry faces increasing shortages of traditional tonewoods, farmed Paulownia is primed to become a viable alternative tonewood in the future. As President Carter remarked when presented with the completed collection:
“It is my hope that these instruments bring happiness to all who both play them and hear them, and that they inspire us all to pursue a more sustainable future.” Jimmy Carter.
In this clip, President Carter gets to hear, for the first time, what a renewable resource sounds like. The collection received the Presidential Seal of Approval.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit two charities very close to President Carter’s heart: Farm Aid, founded by his long-time friend Willie Nelson, which advocates for fair farm policies that promote resiliency, sustainability, equity, and diversity across our food system, and the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Unit of the Boys and Girls Club of Albany, an organization that enables young people (especially those who need it most) to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens.
Body Style: SJ Scale Length: 25.34”
Top: Salvaged “Fourth of July” White Spruce
Back/Sides: Jimmy Carter Paulownia
Rosette: Macassar Ebony Radial Wood 3-Ring w/ Paua Shell
Binding: Macassar Ebony
Purfling: Paua Shell
Pickguard: None
Back Center Strip: Paua Shell
End Wedge: Macassar Ebony w/ Paua
Fretboard: Macassar Ebony
Fretboard Binding: Paua Shell
Headplate: Macassar Ebony
Headplate Binding: Paua Shell
Headstock Backplate: Macassar Ebony
Tuners: Gotoh 510s (Gold w/ Macassar Ebony knobs)
Inlays: Floral Pattern – Hand-cut Mother-of-Pearl/Paua Shell Heel
Cap: Macassar Ebony (Handcut “39” Inlay)
Bridge Material: Macassar Ebony Nut/Saddle
Material: Hand-carved Unbleached bone
Nut Spacing: 1 ¾”
Saddle Spacing: 2 5/16”
String Gauge: Light (.012”-.053”)
Bridge Pins: Fossilized Mammoth Ivory w/ Paua dot
End Pin: Fossilized Mammoth Ivory w/ Paua dot
Pick up: None
Additional Specs: Laminated 5-piece neck – Mahogany, Maple, & RW Doubled Logo Inlay – Hand-cut Mother-of-Pearl/Paua Shell Bound Heelcap