Photo by Jay Blakesberg

Graham Nash was recently reunited with the legendary 1957 maple-neck Fender Stratocaster known as “Alligator,” a guitar he had gifted to Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia over five decades ago. The emotional moment took place during Nash’s concert at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, Calif., on July 10, and it was made possible by Andy Logan, the founder and president of Grateful Guitars.

Logan, who has a deep appreciation for musical history, not only brought “Alligator” but also presented Nash with the Martin acoustic guitar that Garcia had used to record the Grateful Dead’s iconic 1970 album, American Beauty. The Stratocaster came into Garcia’s possession around the same time as the album’s recording.

The transaction had an interesting backstory—Garcia had contributed his pedal steel guitar skills to Nash’s hit song “Teach Your Children,” featured on the 1970 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Déjà Vu. In exchange for Garcia’s involvement, Nash offered the guitar as a thank you. During the sessions Garcia transcended typical country-and-western clichés, influenced by Ralph Mooney’s idiosyncratic tunings on a custom steel guitar with a banjo neck. His style’s iconic cry would also go on be heard on Crosby’s “Laughing” off 1970’s If I Could Only Remember My Name, and his pedal steel skills would be heard on Nash’s “I Used To Be A King” and “Man In The Mirror” in 1971.

“Alligator” quickly became Garcia’s primary instrument during the early 1970s. The guitar, named after a sticker placed on the pickguard, played a significant role in shaping Garcia’s sound during that era. The guitar underwent modifications by audio experts like Frank Fuller at Alembic, the Dead’s renowned gear-building company. With its distinct psychedelicized Bakersfield twang, “Alligator” became one of Garcia’s most cherished instruments, leaving a lasting mark on the sound of the Grateful Dead, notably showcased in their Europe ’72 live album.

See a post showcasing the reunion from noted photographerJay Blakesberg’s Instagram below.