Midway through his set at the first Fretboard Summit, Bryan Sutton surprised the audience by playing a 1942 Martin 0-17 for a few tunes. This guitar has a lot of history for Sutton: His grandfather purchased it in San Francisco while stationed in the Navy. Here, he plays a fiery version of Doc Watson’s “The Train That Carried My Girl to Town.”
Needless to say, whether he’s playing his Bourgeois signature edition dreadnought or this relatively minute vintage 0-style guitar, Sutton remains a flatpicking powerhouse. If you want to hear Sutton in a completely different light, check out this clip from the same evening where he leads Bill Frisell, Joe Henry, Matt Munisteri, Courtney Hartman, Scott Nygaard and Blake Mills through “Sittin’ on Top of the World.” One of those rare, only-at-the-Summit moments captured on film.
Recorded November 7, 2015 at the Costanoa Resort in Northern California. The next Fretboard Summit takes place October 14-16, 2016 at San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo Inn. Tickets are now on sale.
