It’s one of the questions we hear most from visitors: “Why has my favourite object disappeared from the gallery?”
The truth is, there’s no simple answer. Sometimes it's for conservation, sometimes for loans, and sometimes… it’s because the object is being called back into action.
Take this Gibson Melody Maker guitar. Once played by Dom Mariani — frontman of legendary Perth band The Stems — it rocked the stage throughout the 1980s before it was generously loaned to the Museum and put on display in our Reflections Gallery.
But the story doesn’t end there.
Dom’s current band, Fremantle-based Datura4, is recording their sixth studio album, and he needed just the right instrument to lay down some slide guitar. This one fit the bill perfectly — it can be set up with a higher action (more space between the strings and fretboard), which helps reduce the buzz that often comes with this technique. And so, Dom’s trusty guitar found its way back to the studio once more.
Museum objects usually help tell us stories from the past — but every now and then, they get the chance to make some new ones, in their original context and in the hands of those who once brought them to life.
This iconic guitar will be back on display soon. But for now, it’s back in the studio, adding new tracks to its already epic discography.
