Bid to own this extraordinary guitar, part of The President Carter Legacy Collection, played by Kristian Bush, of the band Sugarland, for President Carter's 96th birthday. The guitar It comes with a hard case, a certificate of authenticity signed by President Carter and, uniquely, the handwritten lyrics for a song Kristian wrote on the guitar expressly for President Carter: 'The Last Tree in the Yard.'
This beautiful instrument was painstakingly handcrafted by Colorado-based luthier, Beau Hannam from Empress (Paulownia) wood grown on President Carter's farm in Plains, Georgia. It is one of only three acoustic guitars in The President Carter Legacy Collection.
As the first person to play this guitar, Kristian Bush was surprised by the instrument’s superior sound qualities, and he sensed there was a song already in the guitar. He went out onto the porch thinking about President Carter and a tree that literally grows back from the stump after being harvested and wrote: 'The Last Tree in the Yard'. As reported in the Atlanta Constitutional Journal last year, Kristian said he imagined President Carter to be the last statesman.
“That’s what he represents to me — the person who has seen all of the storms and will grow back from a stump.” Kristian Bush.
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 a tree that reaches maturity in as little as 10 years and, when harvested, 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.
Acoustic guitar
Body Shape" 00 (14 Fret)
Scale length: 25.5"
Top: Sitka Spruce
Body/sides: Paulownia
Rosette: Herringbone
Bindings: Rocklite
Purflings: Black - maple - black
Bridge: Ebony: Diospyros crassiflora
Neck: Honduran Mahogany: Swietenia Macrophylla
Fingerboard: Rocklite
Position markers: Mother of Pearl
Head stock: Face and back both
Rocklite Truss Rod: Double Action
Tuners: Waverly, Nickel with ebony buttons
Nut: polished/bone
Saddle: Tusq
Fretwire: 0.080" Nickel/Silver
Finish: Nitro, Satin, Sunburst ~ Hardshell case