The Gallagher family settled in Wartrace (about sixty miles southeast of Nashville) back in the late 1820s. John William Gallagher was born in 1915, and in 1939 he established a furniture making business. Don Gallagher was born in 1947, and grew up among the tools and wood in the family´s woodworking shop. The furniture business converted to guitar production later in the 1960s. Gallagher and his son Don produced twenty-four guitars in their first year.
In 1976, Don Gallagher took over management of the business, three years before the luthier community lost J.W. Gallagher in 1979. Don Gallagher continues to build acoustic guitars in the family tradition. Source: Tom Wheeler, American Guitars.
Gallagher guitars have been built in very limited numbers. From the opening year of 1965 to 1990, only 2,064 guitars were made. According to the Gallagher catalog, early instruments had paper labels. The serial number on these labels indicate the year and month the guitar was made. Starting in 1970, the serialization began to reflect the number of guitars that had been built. This number, along with the model number, is stamped on the neck block inside every Gallagher guitar.
Instruments currently built in Wartrace, TN since 1965. Distributed by J.W. Gallagher & Sons of Wartrace, TN.