Every Guitar Has A Story And A Past...

A guitar's primary function is usually measured in musical terms; its ability to produce precise notes, chords and passages on demand.

However, anyone who has ever played a vintage musical instrument that was once owned by a famous musician, listened to a recording of a "master" 50 years before they were born, or held their grandfather's guitar, knows how moving these pieces of history can be. Historical treasures like these link generations in a deep and personal way. These treasured items, passed down from generation to generation, provide insight into the lives of those before us and a richer understanding of history.

Treasured family items, like your grandfather's guitar, make the journey from one generation to the next, but the stories that help give meaning to these treasures usually don't survive the trip. Often times, family members want to know the "real story" behind possessions from the past, discover who the original owner was, and learn the special stories or memories about each item. In the case of a musical instrument, that could not be more the case. Yet, it is often impossible to truly authenticate.

History can be volatile and evaporate into bits and pieces. One by one the strands that connect us to our youth and the generations of yesterday are broken or lost. Regardless of our personal wealth, one of the most precious things we can pass on to our children, and the children of their children, is a tangible sense of identity, a sense of place in the cycle of the generations.

However, maintaining and keeping history alive does not happen by accident. The problem is that we live our lives by the moment, an hour at a time - but decades, centuries, and generations measure history. The things we treasure and save out of the every day clutter of trinkets, musical instruments, recordings, and photographs, and pass forward to future generations are the only link to the past.

When it comes to a musical instrument, sometimes stories are the only thing keeping alive the memories of the past. Generations before us had no idea of the significance and value their guitars and collection of notes and music would have for future generations.

Modern Times...
Fast forward to modern times, and that old guitar sitting in the corner in your room, the vintage guitar you purchased after searching months or years for it, or the guitar that once belonged to your Guitar Hero that you somehow found on the internet may be today's "it" possession or somehow symbolic to YOU, but when our children pass them on to their grandchildren, they may be the only thing that speaks for us. We owe it to ourselves, and the future, to preserve what we can of our present and our past.

Grayson DNA™ preserves the instruments history, the lineage, the true authenticity and the "story" of the instrument to make sense of it all for future generations and for the musicians that play that instrument, long after the instrument has left our hands.

In the case of important and historic artists, the authentication of the musical instrument is without question, a valuable and priceless verification of the artist's ownership and ultimately, the guitar's "story". Since many times these guitars are played, sold, traded or simply "lost" to history, DNA is THE ultimate verification tool for today and decades and centuries down-the-road.

In 1999, Taylor Jackson, the owner of Grayson, stood between two generations - one that was starting to fade away and one that had not yet begun. "My father was dying, and my sister was expecting her first child," he said. "That's when it hit me: How would that coming generation know about our family stories and history? How would that child know about his grandfather's love of music and how important that old Gibson L5 guitar was to him? How could I preserve the past for my nephew? How could I preseve the "stories" of that guitar.

Soon after that day, Taylor went about preserving the history of not only his father's life, but the history behind that old L5. After all, this is a guitar that he had used to record his music, the guitar he wrote songs with, and was always by his side. "That's the same model guitar that Scotty Moore played with Elvis. Even 'ol Eddie Lang and Maybelle Carter played an L5, said Taylor's father". "That meant something to him. It was a part of him and the guitar's story needed to be preserved for future generations. He was so proud of that old guitar, said Taylor."

DNA preserves history. DNA is the link to the past. DNA authenticates and documents the lineage of the guitar - from day one for grand dad's, fathers, mothers, sisters, and yes, Rock Stars. Everyone.

At Grayson, we believe it's nice to see a technology that not only secures the authenticity of the instrument, but preserves the "story", lineage and history of that instrument for families, collectors, historians, musicians and future generations.