Lina Eve’s parents met in Germany in April 1945, only days after the Americans liberated the prisoners of the horrific Nordhausen extermination camp.

Eve’s father was a Polish Jew and spent the war years incarcerated in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz. Her mother was a Polish Catholic who found herself in Germany as a displaced person. Eve was conceived not long after her parents met.

Eve’s family travelled from Germany to Melbourne on a ship in 1951 to start a new life. Thirteen years later, Eve began making money as a folk singer in Sydney.

Following a traumatic number of years, including being involved in a serious car crash that killed her then-boyfriend, Eve turned back to music in the New South Wales town of Nimbin.

The singer/songwriter purchased a concert-sized 1969 Martin 00-18 guitar in the US during the 1970s, and went on to perform and record with it for many decades.

It will be one of a number of instruments on display at The National Vintage Guitar Expo, a celebration of vintage, rare and handmade acoustic and electric guitars, amplifiers and accessories from around Australia.

More than 20 displayers, including vintage guitar dealers, luthiers and memorabilia/vinyl record dealers, will be on show at Harmonie German Club this Saturday 11 October from 10am-6pm.

Now, 56 years after Eve purchased the Martin guitar, it has a new owner. It was recently serviced by Canberra luthier Michael Hargreaves.

Mr Hargreaves, who runs Things with Strings in Fisher, told CD that he took the job on simply because: “it is what I do”.

“The longer answer is: with all historically or culturally significant instruments, they have a story and journey that needs to continue,” he said.

“My role is to make sure it is not only in its best shape for the current owner but to ensure it retains as much of its originality as possible.”

Mr Hargreaves said considering its journey, the guitar had come to him in good condition, with a few other repairs done prior to it landing in his hands.

His painstaking work to restore it included removing varnish, carefully wiping off a new lacquer section by section, which took about five hours, removing the scratch plate, followed by the cleaning of all remaining glue, and putting on a new scratch plate.

“Finally, I restring the instrument and make sure it still sings!” Mr Hargreaves said.

“The perks of the job — I get to test some very interesting instruments, and I always try and think about what the last song it played was.”

Mr Hargreaves said Martin guitars were historically significant in the guitar world and had direct lineage to the early 19th-century romantic era of guitar music and guitar making.

“They have been at the forefront of design and innovation since their inception and they hold a special place for guitar collectors and players,” he said.

“As for the 1969 Martin, whilst not historically significant — yet — they are culturally significant as they were the guitar of choice during the height of the singer/ songwriter/ guitarist era of popular music.

“James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, Neil Young and a score of others were using these guitars.

“It is endemic to the sound of that era. Regardless of the scientific and technological advancements luthiers are making to guitar design, most acoustic guitarists just want the classic sound of a Martin.”

Organisers of the guitar expo, Ian Stehlik and Simon Wilkins from Capital Vintage Guitars in Cook, said guitars were the world’s most popular instrument.

“And, Canberra is no exception, with a large and active community of guitar players across all genres of classical, acoustic and electric instruments,” they said.

“Many guitar models from past decades have become highly collectible worldwide, while in Australia, handmaking of ’boutique’ guitars for players seeking a unique instrument is a thriving artisan activity.”

This year the Expo also features a separately ticketed intimate evening concert from 8pm in the Harmonie Club Kellar Room on 11 October, featuring expo vintage guitar guest artists Fiona Boyes, Don Morrison, Skip Sail and Jordan Thomas.

Canberra Daily would love to hear from you about a story idea in Canberra and the surrounding region. Click here to submit a news tip.

Feeling social? Follow Canberra Daily: Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter) | Tik Tok | YouTube