As a guitarist myself, I think the phrase applies to Gallagher Guitar Co. in Wartrace, Tenn. Other guitar players probably would agree. Gallagher instruments have been played by some world-renowned pickers. A visit to the shop where these instruments are made and a chance to meet proprietor Don Gallagher was a journey to guitar heaven.

As I drove toward Wartrace, I recalled meeting one of my guitar heroes, Doc Watson, in 1980 at a bluegrass festival in North Florida. Then a young broadcast news director, I was able to ask him some questions at a news conference. Of course, I asked about his guitar:

''[J.W. Gallagher] brought one along and kind of laughed and said, 'I want you to take this thing and play it. There are no strings attached to it 'cept the ones that's on it. We'll let the darn thing endorse itself,' and I liked it and kept on playing it.''

Watson now has a Gallagher model named for him, and memories of hearing his picking rang in my head as I headed for the small town of Wartrace.

Gallagher guitars are built in a small shop on Main Street. Production quantities are relatively small, about 150 guitars a year. But the clear, clean sound that booms out of them is big and rings in concert venues and living rooms around the world.

Don Gallagher's father, the late J.W. Gallagher, started the company in 1965. Before he built guitars, the elder Gallagher built fine furniture.

''Primarily, he was making antique reproduction furniture using walnut and cherry as the primary woods and, later, using some mahogany,'' Don Gallagher said. ''The company was designed so that somebody would bring in a picture or a rough idea and he would design the piece of furniture and then build it. So it was all custom, one-of-a-kind type pieces, basically.''

When a Shelbyville subsidiary of Slingerland Drums was charged with creating a line of student guitars, they contacted J.W. Gallagher. Though he was known for his woodworking ability, he had never built a guitar.

''It's been an evolution,'' Gallagher said. ''When he started making guitars, my father approached it as a woodworking project. He had no particular knowledge about acoustics. There were a couple of guitars we got and took to the band saw, basically to see how the construction was. And that was the preliminary beginning.''

The quality of the guitars built for Slingerland under the Shelby brand name did not meet J.W.'s standards.

''He was used to making fine- quality furniture and was not real happy in a production situation where they were making inexpensive guitars. It wasn't what he was comfortable doing.

''If he was going to make guitars, he wanted to make a good-quality guitar.''

J.W. set up shop, and as the reputation of quality developed, so did the popularity of Gallagher guitars. Among the first celebrities to buy one was Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary. Yarrow was performing in Atlanta and asked J.W. and Don Gallagher to meet him there with a new guitar. The Gallaghers actually took Yarrow two guitars made with different woods, and he chose the one that sounded best to him.

Grand Ole Opry star Grandpa Jones' wife, Ramona, had one built for her famous husband as a Christmas present in 1968. Until that point, the company had designed only larger-bodied guitars. They created their first smaller-bodied instrument specifically for Grandpa Jones.

''We finished that guitar up on Christmas eve,'' Gallagher said. ''My father called Ramona and said, 'The guitar is ready.' She said, 'Well, if you'll bring it down here, I'll put on some soup.' ''

J.W. and Don Gallagher delivered the guitar and had supper with the Joneses that night.

Roger Miller was doing a national ad campaign for a muffler company and the company presented a Gallagher to him as a gift. Guitar legend Merle Travis and Doc Watson had a conversation about Gallaghers that was included on the historic original Will the Circle Be Unbroken album. They've been featured in countless newspaper and magazine stories.

Just what is it about Gallagher guitars that make them so special? Bluegrass musician Chris Jones has had his for 23 years . . . and it was used when he got it. Jones said the history and the sound of his guitar make it dear to him.

''I bought it at a music store in Burlington, Vt., when I was a broke college student,'' Jones said. ''I found the guitar in disrepair and bought it for $300. It wasn't much to look at when I bought it in 1980. It's a G-70 model and was built in 1970.''

Jones has recorded several albums. Aside from leading his band at The Station Inn in Nashville and at festivals throughout the country, he recently toured with the Celtic band The Chieftains. Among the stops on the tour were Lincoln Center and an appearance on NBC's Late Night With Conan O'Brien. Jones said his Gallagher is toned, tough and delivers the music he wants to present.

''Mine has rosewood sides and back,'' Jones said. ''It's similar to a (Martin) D-28, but it's easier to mike. It mikes well and has an even tone. It's excellent for rhythm and lead. Other guitars may be louder, but this one really delivers.''

Not all Gallagher customers are professional musicians. However, individuals who may never play for anyone besides friends and family to well-known entertainers rest assured of the quality of their instruments. When he started the company, J.W. Gallagher looked to the future and began a ledger of Gallagher purchasers.

''He had a sense of the importance of the history of things,'' Don Gallagher said. ''We've always maintained a ledger where we've recorded the model number, the serial number, who got the guitar and when it left the shop. All the guitars are documented and the serial numbers are stamped on the neck block, along with the model number.''

Because of this detail, Gallagher actually has helped return some stolen guitars to their original owners. A Utah man bought a Gallagher in the 1970s only to have it stolen later. He ordered a new Gallagher, which the company delivered. After the original guitar had gone through many owners, an unsuspecting purchaser of the stolen instrument attempted to get it appraised. The guitar's history was in Gallagher's ledger and the investigation began.

''Then I got a call from a detective . . . one of those most memorable calls that said, 'Mr. Gallagher, we have one of your guitars in custody.' It turns out that the guy who was sending the guitar in for an appraisal was just an innocent victim and he didn't know it was a stolen guitar; it had changed hands a few times.''

The guitar was shipped to its original owner.

There are several guitars on racks in the shop's lobby. There's also a chair for people who want to sit and pick one of them. After Don's invitation to do so, I played a little and then tore myself away from a spruce-top work of art with mother of pearl inlay. I love the guitars I own and play them all the time. To answer a question you may be asking by now: no, I don't own a Gallagher . . . yet.

Call him Mr. Mayor

Like the town of Wartrace, Don Gallagher is pleasant and unassuming. It was only after I had been talking to him for about an hour that he mentioned he is town mayor. He recently guided Wartrace through its 150th anniversary, although he's quick to say a lot of people deserve credit for the yearlong celebration.

''I appointed a sesquicentennial committee to organize activities for the year,'' Gallagher said. ''The only requirement was that you had to be able to say the word 'sesquicentennial.' If you could spell it, you could be chairman.''

About the author

Les Kerr is a Nashville guitarist, songwriter and journalist originally from Mississippi. An enthusiast of several musical styles, Kerr refers to his own sound as ''Hillbilly Blues Caribbean Rock and Roll'' because of the variety of his influences. He became interested in Gallagher Guitars after seeing one of his heroes, Doc Watson, play one at a bluegrass festival in 1975.

In 2000, Kerr placed in the top three at the Music City Blues Society's Acoustic Blues Challenge, a contest devoted to acoustic blues performance. He now serves as the society's vice president. As a solo artist and as leader of Les Kerr and The Bayou Band, Kerr performs regionally and nationally. He has recorded four albums.

With a degree in journalism from the University of Mississippi, Kerr has served as news director for several Gulf Coast radio stations and currently contributes articles to magazines and newspapers including The Tennessean, Vanderbilt Lawyer and Tennessee Trucking News. In 2002, he co-wrote The All-American Truck Stop Cookbook (Rutledge Hill Press) with Ken Beck of The Tennessean and Jim Clark and contributed an essay and recipe to The Bluebird Cafe Scrapbook (Harper Entertainment).

Les Kerr, husband of Tennessean columnist Gail Kerr, will play several of his guitars when he is host of his 13th annual Mardi Gras concert on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 24, at The Bluebird Cafe.