Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument [Paperback]

Allen St. John (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2006

New York Times bestselling author Allen St. John started off looking for the world's greatest guitar, but what he found instead was the world's greatest guitar builder. Living and working in Rugby, Virginia (population 7), retired rural mail carrier Wayne Henderson is a true American original, making America's finest instruments using little more than a pile of good wood and a sharp whittling knife. There's a 10-year waiting list for Henderson's heirloom acoustic guitars -- and even a musical legend like Eric Clapton must wait his turn. Partly out of self-interest, St. John prods Henderson into finally building Clapton's guitar, and soon we get to pull up a dusty stool and watch this Stradivari in glue-stained blue jeans work his magic. The story that ensues will captivate you with its portrait of a world where craftsmanship counts more than commerce, and time is measured by old jokes, old-time music, and homemade lemon pies shared by good friends.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

People will go to great lengths to get master craftsman Wayne Henderson to build them an instrument. If you're an award-winning journalist like St. John and you want to expedite the process, you write a book about Henderson that's equal parts travelogue, biography and ode to the old-fashioned trade of making top-notch guitars. Upon learning that Eric Clapton has been on Henderson's waiting list for 10 years, St. John sets out to learn about the little-known man behind the instruments every guitarist knows. He visits Henderson's Virginia home, shadowing the artist while he builds guitars, plays "old time music" concerts and doesn't build Clapton's guitar. Along the way, he finds answers to questions such as which is the best wood for guitar making (Brazilian rosewood) and how much the 1939 Martin guitar Clapton played on Unplugged was auctioned for ($700,000). When St. John finally helps cajole Henderson into building two guitars for Clapton (one to be auctioned for charity), Henderson's and St. John's expertise shine through. St. John's descriptions of Henderson choosing wood, making a dovetail neck joint or whittling bracings for the guitar-top are as detailed, refined and playful as the instruments Henderson creates. Photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Only a guitar book in the sense that The Orchid Thief is only a book about gardening. St. John makes the case for the transformative power of certain objects and the not-so-quaint notion of craftsmanship." -- Allen Barra, American Heritage

"Clapton's Guitar delivers a fascinating tale that's bound to leave you longing for a Henderson of your own." -- Southern Living

"St. John . . . has created a memorable portrait of a likable, self-effacing craftsman at work. St. John writes, 'Some people simply have the gift of being able to make a piece of wood sing.' He doesn't come out and say it, but you know he's thinking it: Henderson is God." -- David Kelly, The New York Times Book Review

"Clapton's Guitar takes the reader on a craftsman's journey that [began] when . . . Eric Clapton first picked up a Henderson guitar." -- The Wall Street Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743266366
• ISBN-13: 978-0743266369
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely meditation on craftsmanship, November 1, 2005

By 

the_global_village_idiot (Hanover, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument (Hardcover)

Allen St. John's "Clapton's Guitar" is likely to be read primarily by guitar junkies, but here's hoping it quickly reaches a broader audience.

Although the book centers on the creation of two specific instruments - for one of the world's best-known guitarists, by one of its least-known luthiers - the book is really a leisurely and sweet meditation on elite craftsmanship and the passions that fuel it - both on the part of the craftsman, and on the part of those who hunger for his work. As such, persons who treasure such things as fine furniture, wooden boats, fine wine, even artisan bread, will find resonance in Clapton's Guitar.

Guitar maker Wayne Henderson emerges as a delightfully ordinary man with two extraordinary gifts - the ability to build magnficent instruments, and the ability to play them. He's revealed as the sort of down-to-earth chap you'd enjoy having as a neighbor (as long as you didn't mind that his yard might be less than tidy, or that he might not be particularly prompt in returning borrowed tools). It's Henderson's unique abilities to recognize the inherent qualities in raw materials and effortlessly utilize them that transforms him from regular Joe to magician.

St. John - and, obviously, Henderson - believes that vintage Martin guitars are the standard by which flat-top acoustic guitars should be measured. Some might argue that point, and it's intriguing that other than the uniquely shaped head-stock design Henderson uses, his guitars are essentially superb reproductions, while other artisan luthiers are exploring ways to make the instrument evolve. That's not a value judgement; rather, it's a reflection of Henderson's character.

One can race through the book, but that would be a mistake. Take time to enjoy the meanders and side trips. St. John leads us on many of them - and if they don't necessarily add much to the central story or give additional insight into Henderson's work, they're still enjoyable.

Essential read for guitar players, and strongly recommended for anyone who loves and respects true craftsmanship.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Guitar Story, October 24, 2005

By 

W. J. Thomas "JT" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument (Hardcover)

This is an astonishingly good read. It is meticulously crafted and casually presented, which is a perfect match for Wayne Henderson and his approach to his craft.

"Clapton's Guitar" is a delightful, first-person account of accompanying Wayne Henderson while he builds Clapton's guitar. For all who have met Wayne and played a Henderson Guitar - I met him a few years back in Nashville and played the Henderson dreadnought that he used in a spellbinding performance at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society annual gathering - St. John captures the man and his instruments beautifully. In addition, you not only get to be a fly on the wall, or, perhaps more appropriately, an apprentice at the bench, in Wayne's shop, but you get a lesson in the geography and culture of the Appalachian region, a history of old time and bluegrass music, and, best of all, a history of Wayne Henderson.

In all, a delight to read. I really recommend this book highly.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Clapton's Guitar" Entertaining, Interesting, & Well Written, October 10, 2005

By 

Scott M. Dwinelle (Alexandria, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument (Hardcover)

I bought this book with a little skepticism as I thought it might be another techincal "how to" book about guitars. Boy was I ever wrong as I couldn't put it down once I started reading it! Allen St. John has written a very entertaining & interesting book about a master luthier/guitar virtuoso named Wayne Henderson of Rugby, Virginia, Population 7. It is a true story about Eric Clapton discovering one of Mr. Henderson's guitars at a studio and being so impressed he wants to get one, the only trouble being that it takes up to ten years to receive it. Mr. St. John tells us in a delightful & entertaining way the story behind Clapton's guitar & what it took to make it. You will learn about Wayne Henderson and the cast of characters that hang out at his guitar shop who not only want one of his guitars, but just want to see an "old world craftsman" perform his trade. Along the way you learn about Mr. Henderson, his family, friends, and the small town of Rugby, Virginia through the eyes of Mr. St. John as he aides Mr. Clapton's quest for a Henderson guitar as well as his own desire to own one. Mr. St. John's writing style is easy going with a blend of first hand accounts and little side stories along the way that keep your interest. He has a way of making you feel like you are there with him in rural Rugby, Virginia watching, assisting, and encouraging Mr. Henderson to make Clapton's guitar and becoming his friend along the way. This book has something for everyone from guitar afficianados to people who just like a good story. Buy it and you won't be sorry you did.