SLIDESHOW: Randy Wood's incredible instruments helped him connect with musicians from Elvis to Eric Clapton

Randy Wood is just too good for retirement.

Not that the master luthier hasn't tried - in fact, he's tried more than once. But folks just kept calling on him to repair or build musical instruments for them.

Today, Randy Wood Guitars in Bloomingdale is a bustling place, and its owner is busy as ever.

Click here to view a slideshow of Randy Wood's career working with musical legends

"Now we have the retail store and a repair shop," he says. "That's the main thrust of the business.

"We have a record company where we produce and manufacture DVDs and CDs," Wood says. "There's a concert hall where we put on concerts two to three times a month, and all are nationally known acts.

"And there's a barbecue restaurant, Mac's Place," he says. "I lease that out to a friend of mine."

Wood's musical and woodworking skills come from his father.

"My dad played and sang and a number of his brothers played and sang," he says. "He was a carpenter and woodworker."

The Savannah area was a natural place to set up a business.

"As far as building instruments, nobody did that around here until I started," Wood says.

And Wood is a native Georgian. "I call Brunswick home, but I was born in Coffee County," he says. "I spent three years in the Army, then came home and stayed in Brunswick for about a year. I moved to Atlanta, where I worked as a draftsman."

One of Wood's friends, Tut Taylor of Milledgeville, is a master dobro player and renowned bluegrass musician. "He had a wood shop and fooled around with instruments," Wood says. "He talked to me about moving to Milledgeville to work.

"That's where I started working on instruments," he says. "I spent two years in Milledgeville."

Another friend played banjo. "He had a music store and started talking to me about moving to Muscle Shoals, Ala.," Wood says "He wanted to open a repair shop. That's where I got to start working full-time."

Before moving to Muscle Shoals, Wood had lined up a job as a draftsman that wouldn't open for eight weeks. "By the time the job opened, we were three months behind on repairs, so I stayed," he says.

In January 1970, Wood and his friends Taylor and George Gruhn, an expert on vintage guitars, moved to Nashville and opened a business called GTR.

"One of the reasons we moved there was because they were filming Johnny Cash's television show at the Ryman Auditorium," Wood says. "Gibson wanted us to do some of their custom work.

"Gibson backed out, but by that time, we had already set up and had a good business," he says. "That's because the Ryman was on Fifth Avenue and we were on Fourth Avenue. The Ryman was at our back door.

"All the celebrities who came to appear on the Johnny Cash show hung out at our music store," Wood says. "We got to meet people like Mama Cass Elliot, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr. and Johnny Cash and his entourage.

"Every week, there would be two or three new ones. I got to be pretty good friends with Eric Clapton, and I already knew Chet Atkins. Just about everybody in the music business came through there."

Coming home to Georgia

After a year with GTR, Wood, Taylor and bluegrass musician Grant Boatwright opened the Old Time Pickin' Parlor on Second Avenue in Nashville.

"I bought their interests and became the sole owner," Wood says. "I started developing it as a club-type listening room that I ran for eight years.

"It became world famous," he says. "We had clients from all over the world - Great Britain, Belgium, Japan."

Clapton, Cash, Keith Richards, Michael Martin Murphey and Charlie Daniels were not just clients, but Wood's good friends. But one client stands out even among those music legends.

"I did work for Elvis Presley," Wood says. "I designed his black Gibson Dove and put his name on the fingerboard for him."

After years of success, Wood decided to leave Nashville.

"I was born and raised in Georgia," he says. "I'm a Georgia cracker at heart. I wanted to get away from dealing with the public so much."

When Wood and his wife, Irene, left Nashville, they eventually chose Savannah as home.

"We wanted to get out of the cold weather and get back further south," he says. "Irene is from Ohio, but she loves the beach and we prefer the coast.

"We looked at Charleston, but it was a toss-up between Savannah and St. Augustine," Wood says. "The main reason we settled on Savannah was because we still had property in Nashville that had to be managed.

"From here, it's just a day to get to Nashville," he says. "From St. Augustine, it was two days. I knew I was going to be driving it at least once a month and sometimes every two weeks."

The Woods bought a house on Isle of Hope.

"I put a wood shop in the back," he says. "I didn't plan on getting back into business, but that went on for 22 years.

"Then the islands started getting more populated," Wood says. "People were starting to complain about home businesses.

"I started looking for another place," he says. "We decided to move out here to Bloomingdale where we had commercial property. I had the idea I'd be semi-retired."

Funny how well-intentioned plans can change.

"One thing led to another," Wood says. "The city wanted me to buy a business license, so I put in a little store to help pay for it ..."

Building the best

"We build all acoustic instruments," Wood says. "We build electric guitars.

"One unique thing about the shop is that I don't know of another shop that has the capability to do what we do," he says. "We have the technology and capacity to do anything that can be done to any acoustic instrument."

At one time, Randy Wood Guitars did extensive business around the world. "We don't do as much overseas business as we once did because it's too cost-prohibitive," he says.

"In some cases, the main focus is around a vintage instrument and a lot of vintage instruments were made out of rare woods that are now on the endangered species lists," Wood says. "It's almost impossible to ship a vintage instrument across country borders.

"It's really gotten to be a problem," he says. "Brazilian rosewood, mother of pearl, ivory - they can't ship them here because it's illegal.

"In fact, it's gotten to the point that this industry is dying because of the restrictions," Wood says. "A guitar that is 100 years old is not going to hurt the tree that the wood came from."

Local residents turn to Wood for a new instrument or repairs.

"Our main business comes from the weekend picker and people with day jobs," Wood says. "They're the ones with the money. They're our bread and butter."

Celebrities no longer provide much business.

"Most celebrities today expect to be given an instrument," Wood says.

But the concert series provides some business. "A lot of bands save up their repairs for when they play here," Wood says. "It's a double-stop for them.

"Beth McKee is one of our favorites," he says. "John Jorgenson, the gypsy guitar guy who is one of the best in the world, is another. We have some of the best talent in the world."

The Pickin' Parlor is praised by the musicians who appear there. "It's come to be known by most musicians as one of the best listening rooms in the United States," Wood says.

"It's one of the best places to watch and listen to a show. The furthest seat from the stage is just 35 feet away, so you are right onstage with the musicians."

On Aug. 3, Stella Parton, Dolly's younger sister, will do a concert and book signing at the Pickin' Parlor. "She's quite an entertainer," Wood says. "She's a great singer, a beautiful person all the way around. I built her a half-size guitar."

Life is good

Wood himself is one of the reasons many musicians love to play Randy Wood Guitars.

"Randy is like Earl Scruggs," says bluegrass musician Little Roy Lewis.

"He's such a wonderful musician and can fix instruments, too," he says. "Before he even got to Bloomingdale, he was famous in Nashville doing instruments for me and everyone else.

"It's as much fun for me seeing him as it is for him seeing me," Lewis says. "He's the best at what he does.

"We feel like we're at home there and there is always something great for us to eat," adds rock, soul, blues and gospel artist McKee. "One time, someone killed a wild boar and barbecued it up for us. Wild pulled-pork sandwiches, what a treat!"

Because of Wood's work with celebrities, some potential customers worry his work is too expensive.

"People come in and call and say they didn't call before because they figured we'd charge too much," he says. "Our prices are mid-range and, in a lot of cases, lower range.

"People say they can't get out here, but we're the same distance as to the airport," Wood says. "It's literally a 10- or 15-minute drive from downtown. You can get here faster than Tybee, although we don't have a beach."

Perhaps the strangest commission Wood ever received came from singer/songwriter John D. Loudermilk, who requested a very special guitar.

"John is a bit eccentric," Wood says. "He requested a couple of secret compartments.

"We built a harmonica holder and a collapsible stand into the guitar," he says. "To do this and make it sound good can get hard."

No matter what the project, Wood enjoys them all. "That's one of the beauties of my work," he says. "I'm probably one of the luckiest people in the world.

"I'm always able to wake up and look forward to going to work," Wood says. "Even on bad days, I enjoy going to work."