Billy Strings – John Deere Tractor

In this video Billy talks about locating (and eventually re-purchasing) the Martin D-93 that his dad, Terry Barber, owned during Billy's childhood but was forced to sell during tough financial times.

Billy does not currenlty tour or record with this guitar, as he gave it back to his dad after purchasing it. Terry can be seen playing it alongside Billy in several videos (check out here and here).

The origional For Sale thread on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum can be found here; you can even see Billy's replies to the listing and discussion with the guitar's seller. This guitar is also discussed by Strings in his Premier Guitar interview.

When I was 10 or 11, money got really tough for the family. We lost our power and hot water, and paying bills was a real struggle, and the only thing left in the house worth anything was that D-93. So, my dad decided to take the guitar back to Elderly so we could eat and turn the utilities back on. I wanted the guitar to stay in the family longer than he or I would be around. The day he sold it was a tragedy at our home. Years went by and even though I had no cash, I started looking around on the internet for an acoustic to pick with my dad again. I was window-shopping on this unofficial Martin forum and I saw my dad’s guitar! My jaw hit the floor. It had my dad’s wear down by the pickguard, the exact wear on the fretboard—I knew those markings like a roadmap of my childhood. I sent its current owners, Joe and Marla Singleton—bless their hearts—a really long email. As I was writing it, I was crying on the keyboard. I pleaded to Joe not to sell the guitar to anybody but me because it was my dad’s guitar, and we sold it out of hardship seven or eight years ago. He responded that he had three interested buyers on eBay, and he was skeptical that I wasn’t just some punk 17-year-old talking shit on the internet. Thankfully, his wife Marla stepped in and said, “If this kid is telling the truth, you gotta give him a shot.” He relented and we agreed on $700 for three consecutive months. I was living in Michigan, so I was taking back beer cans and pop bottles for 10 cents. I was selling weed, I was cutting grass—I did anything I could to make money. I took the original case to my parents’ house and set it on the table. My dad thought it was a prank—he told me “to get that fucking thing out of the house.” He eventually worked up the nerve to pull the guitar out and he started playing “John Deere Tractor” by Larry Sparks. His mom loved that song. My mom, my brother, and I all cried our eyes out while he played it. It was really special—that was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.