His name is mostly unknown except in musical circles, but Randy Wood definitely qualifies as one of Georgia’s hidden treasures. Wood, a native of Coffee County, has combined masterful woodworking skills with a love of music to become one of the most sought-after fretted instrument-makers in the country, crafting guitars, mandolins and dobros.

Opportunity took Wood to the music centers of Muscle Shoals and Nashville, where he honed his skills repairing and improving instruments for everyone from Elvis to Emmylou to Eric Clapton. In the mid-1970s home called, and Wood is now settled in tiny Bloomingdale, outside Savannah, where his store and workshop draw musicians from near and far. Ever-modest, Wood describes himself as a woodworker who happens to make instruments, but thousands of musicians around the world disagree and consider him a real artist.

Visit his website for more information.