One Guitar: An Inside look at Dr. Paul Garland’s Collection of Guitars

BY PATTI SMITH;PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICK COOPER

Dr. Paul Garland joined the team of physicians at The Eye Center of North Florida in 2002. He initially intended to specialize in ear, nose and throat care, but then he witnessed a cataract surgery during medical school. Opening up the eye was like entering another world and from that day, he was hooked on becoming an ophthalmologist and eye surgeon.
Paul and his wife, Laura, currently are staying in their beach house while their home in Lynn Haven is undergoing renovation. One thing Paul Garland was sure to take with him was his guitar collection that used to be small enough to fit into a closet. In fact, his 1953 Gibson, the first electric guitar he ever owned, has stood in many closets as Paul has moved around the country pursuing his ophthalmology career. Now the piece stands proudly and beautifully among even the most modern of the other instruments he owns.

He remembers vividly that his grandmother bought him the 1953 Gibson in July 1969 to celebrate his 14th birthday. It was his reward for practicing faithfully for about a year. “I had an acoustic guitar, but I really didn’t want an acoustic guitar. I wanted to be a rocker,” he says. The 1953 Gibson is not only the first electric guitar he ever owned, it is the only one he owned for about 20 years.
The guitar is made from northern maple. The back and rim are finished in a chocolate brown, and the top in a golden sunburst. The top features slender F-holes along with an ebony adjustable bridge. The Gibson’s adjustable truss rod neck is topped with nickel tuners and ivory heads. The 1953 model was the same one used by blues legend B.B. King.
Holding the guitar in his hands brings back cherished memories for Dr. Garland, who entertained audiences throughout high school playing paid gigs with his band. By the time high school ended, the band’s manager had gigs lined up six nights a week. Paul weighed his options. “I mentioned it to my Dad and he about hit the roof,” he says, “I quickly decided to study pre-med at Tulane University in Louisiana instead.”
During most of his undergraduate studies he only played his Gibson on break from school. By the time he was a senior, however, he had most of his prerequisites for medical school completed, so he took the Gibson with him that year and tried out for the college’s prestigious, 30-member group, the “Tulanians.” The group was made up of 18 musicians and 12 singers and dancers who toured throughout the U.S. to help promote Tulane University.
Winning a spot in the group brought him back to his teen years when he would play music alongside his Dad, who was a saxophonist. “I would play chords and he would play melody,” Paul reminisces. “I learned his music from the 40s, which was good for me because I learned to sight-read. That was a requirement for joining the Tulanians.”
Paul began buying other guitars about 25 years ago when he became a professional ophthalmologist. Included in his collection are a Les Paul, a Fender Stratocaster (signed by Wynonna Judd), a Rickenbacker and a Schecter “Jägermeister.”

Paul does not play his 1953 Gibson often anymore because his other guitars have a superior sound. Almost every time he travels, he takes a guitar with him, especially if there is an opportunity to get an autograph.
He and Laura took a vacation on the Rock Legends Cruise where they saw famous rockers perform and share their stories. They included Peter Frampton, Gregg Allman and musicians from Steppenwolf, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foghat and Bad Company.
Dr. Garland had the chance to play alongside legends like Bill Wyman, bass player with the Rolling Stones, and Saul Hudson, the lead guitarist from Guns N’ Roses, better known as Slash, during a Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp that was held in Liverpool. They both signed a white guitar he bought specifically for that purpose.
Another special signature on a guitar is that of Pete Best, first drummer for the Beatles. While in the UK, Paul did not miss a beat. He got to perform three Beatles songs on stage at The Cavern Club, famous as the birthplace of The Beatles. Part of the fantasy camp was to write an original song and record it at Abbey Road Studios.
Paul is thrilled to have had these experiences but equally satisfying is the stage he has set in his living room – his favorite easy chair. Nowadays, after a long day, it’s become his favorite spot to sit and strum away – occasionally on his 1953 Gibson.