The Gibson Guitar Company
in Nashville, Tennessee chose only the finest hardwood curly
maple to go into their limited edition Gibson 100th Anniversary
series and The 
Historic Collection
series guitars, as well as their regular lines. Most people have
heard of the Gibson Guitar company and know their reputation
for producing high quality instruments. But what a lot of people
don't know is that the majority of that fine hardwood used to
manufacture those guitars was grown and/or milled right here
in Dickenson County, Virginia.
These fine collector's series guitars sell for $4,000.00 and up, and prices are expected to skyrocket as time goes on for these uniquely beautiful guitars. Stars such as Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill, Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn, and many other well-known musicians, own and dazzle audiences worldwide with guitars crafted from Dickenson County hardwoods.
Mike
Hill of Dickenson County has been providing native hardwood curly
maple to the Gibson Guitar Company in Nashville for the past
11 years from a small milling operation he and his family run
near his home on Backbone Ridge.
When Mike first began providing wood to the Gibson Company in 1991, his operation was rated eleventh in production for them. Within three years, the Dickenson County operation became Gibson's number one wood producer. As a token of their appreciation, Gibson presented Hill with one of their finest collector's series handmade guitars, a custom Les Paul 100th Anniversary Flametop, produced from Dickenson County curly maple.
Curly Maple is a native maple
hardwood with a distinct and rare grain pattern. The grain appears
rippled or translucent, hence the name Curly Maple. The curls
seem to reverese 
and flicker as the
wood is moved.
Hill says his affiliation
with the Gibson Company was not only a matter of luck, but also
a testament to his faith in God always providing a way. Hill
was out of work at the time, and had been experimenting with
curly maple wood for some fiddles he was handcrafting. The curl
of the wood was so vibrant he began thinking how beautiful it
would be on a guitar. So he phoned up the Gibson plant in Nashville
and asked to speak to the wood buyer there. A woman answered,
and he asked her if they would be interested in any Virginia
Hardrock Curly 
Maple and she told
him to hold on. Hill said he heard her ask someone (which later
turned out to be Donnie Blance, wood procurment manager for Gibson),
and heard the man's response, "Hell yeah, let me talk to
him."
First off Blance asked to see a sample of the Dickenson County hardwood. Hill said he bought board with a nice curl in it and mailed it to the man at Gibson. He said the initial board cost him $25.00 to have it milled, and $3.00 to mail to Nashville, making his initial investment in his new business $28.00! Gibson phoned him upon receipt of the wood and ordered 11 more pieces. That's when the work began.
Hill said he found some logs
of the type he needed and since he didn't have enough cash on
hand at the time to purchase them, he traded his truck for the
logs. He rough milled 
the
logs in his front yard and filled Gibson's order for the 11 curly
boards. The demand from Gibson soon increased, and Hill and his
family began to purchase more and more equipment and built a
large building to house everything. The mill was soon employing
several family members to keep up with the increasing orders.
Not all of the wood sent to Gibson these days is grown in Dickenson County. Over the years as demand increased, Hill had to begin contacting loggers from other areas to find enough of the unique maple wood to fill Gibson's orders.
Hill grew up with a love of music. His mother's family was very musical. And four of his cousins, the Barton Brothers, were professional musicians writing and recording several hit records, including Old Richmond Prison, which was later recorded by Dr. Ralph Stanley.
Mike's
first guitar was given to him by his mother. It was a Sears Silvertone
Flattop. He taught himself how to play. Then at age 13 his family
moved to Lousiville, Kentucky for a while where he took lessons
in reading sheet music. Later when they moved back to Dickenson
County, Mike organized a teenage band, The Son's of Liberty,
and cut a record.
Through the years Mike's love of music has continued. He has passed on his talents to his daughter, Christy Mullins, who sings with him. Christy also plays keyboard. And, of course, she helps out in the family maple wood business, along with her husband Steve.
Mike is married to Geri Ratliff Hill, and he is the son of David and Joann Hill. The family tradition continues as Christy's two sons, Cody and Cole, sing and dance for Grandpa Mike as he plays old Richmond Prison on one of Gibson's guitars.
Mike gives tours of his milling operations to area school groups and others from time to time. If you are interested in touring the guitar operation, phone Hill at (276) 865-4436 to set up an appointment.
Visit these sites to hear Mike Hill singing:
http://www.dickensoncounty.net/pickinwithmyfriends.html
http://www.dickensoncounty.net/richmondprison.html
This website is owned by a Dickenson County Gal. It is an unofficial, ad-free, nonprofit, privately owned website. All rights to the information, photos, and graphics contained herein are strictly reserved by the owner. If you have comments about this website click here. This page updated September 18, 2004