Greg Fleming’s Tidebreaker guitar was created with wood from a shipwreck found in Renews Harbour, on the southeast coast of Newfoundland. When the wood was found in 1994, he says, those in the community knew they had come across something special.
St. John’s musician Greg Fleming has seen a lot of guitars made out of a lot of different materials.
But after experimenting with creating guitars from an unlikely source, he says he hasn’t come across anything like his first creation.
“I’ve got Gibsons and Fenders and all sorts of guitars, and these Tidebreakers are completely different than all of it,” Fleming told CBC Radio’s Weekend AM. “They’re very unique.”
Fleming’s Tidebreaker guitar was created with wood from a shipwreck found in Renews Harbour, on the southeast coast of Newfoundland. When the wood was found in 1994, he said, those in the community knew they had come across something special.
“The wood was very interesting because it wasn’t put together with steel. It was put together with what’s called tree nails,” he said. “And because of that, I decided to get the wood carbon-dated.”
Working with the University of Ottawa, Fleming discovered the sunken timbers dated from 1661. At some point, they woun