The President Carter Legacy Collection, comprising 3 acoustic guitars, 2 ukuleles, 2 electric guitars and 2 mandolins, was handcrafted by some of the finest luthiers in the United States, Canada and Switzerland, from Paulownia wood harvested on President Carter's farm in Plains, Georgia.
It was created to honor the former president's ongoing commitment to building a sustainable future and to promote farmed Paulownia as a renewable, lumber resource. As the guitar industry faces increasing shortages of traditional tonewoods, Paulownia is primed to become a viable alternative for the future.
Having been played for President Carter’s recent birthday by musicians ranging from Eddie Vedder and Duff McKagan, to the Indigo Girls and Kristian Bush, the collection is now being auctioned to benefit two charities 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.
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.
