A guitar designed and thematically crafted around Palestine and its rich cultural history has just been put up for auction to raise funds for the non-profit organization, Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Built by UK-based luthier Gary Leddington, the acoustic guitar serves as a nod to Palestinian heritage and aims to be a symbol of the unity that's brought about by the power of music.
“Like many around the world, I have been profoundly moved and deeply shaken by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” asserts Leddington. “The scale of suffering, especially among innocent children, has left me heartbroken and searching for a meaningful way to help.
“As someone in a relatively privileged position in the ‘west’, I often feel powerless, but after some thinking, in response to this tragedy, I decided to use my craft to take action.”
The back and sides are made of olive wood, the national tree of Palestine, and a powerful symbol of peace. Further trimmings include a dyed burl ‘end graft’ and ‘heel cap’ that represent the watermelon, “a symbol of resistance and cultural unity”; brass tuner buttons, referencing the Dome of the Rock, a place of spiritual significance for the Palestinian people; and a sterling silver ‘Key of Return’ at the 12th fret.
Leddington also reveals that building the guitar itself served as a community project, with many people “donating wood, materials, inlay designs, ribbon, embroidery, prints, portraits, strings, merch, and more” to make it happen.
Aside from the one-of-a-kind acoustic, the auction winner will also receive a custom handmade hard case, covered in black gator faux-leather and lined with black crushed velvet, with custom jacquard silk ‘freedom’ ribbons and a hand embroidered lid that reads in Arabic, ‘Where words fail, music speaks.’
To learn more about this initiative, visit Gary Leddington's official website.
