The story of this Loretta started nearly a decade ago when I picked up some walnut firewood from a local guy south of town at his place, Permavations. He was into unique horticulture and wood harvesting — the kind of guy who always had something interesting lying around. Back then, I couldn’t afford his premium cuts, so I settled for firewood. A few of those chunks looked promising, though, so I glued them up with some decorative stripes and a piece of hackberry on the back.

Everything was going fine — until I ran it through the planer and caught a flash of metal. Turned out the tree had taken a bullet sometime in the last hundred years. Lead and copper embedded right in the heart of the wood.

Instead of tossing it, we decided to feature it — broke the purfling right where the bullet hit and built the story around it. Later, when other problems popped up in the build, we salvaged it with cedar wings on the back using CNC precision.

This one fought us the whole way, but what came out the other side was pure magic — a once-in-a-lifetime piece that’ll never be replicated.

Loretta isn’t just a guitar — it’s a survivor. A guitar with a past, a story, and a scar to prove it.

And if you ever find yourself playing it on stage… just remember, this one’s already taken a bullet for you.