The Tennessean newspaper reported last week that supplies of Gibson Electric Guitars is beginning to dry up due to flooding in Nashville. A plant responsible for the manufacture of 2,500 of some of the worlds best known guitars every day has been shut down by the flooding of Mill Creek that flows right behind the Gibson USA's facility.

The nation's largest musical instrument seller, Guitar Center, anticipates its 214 stores will exhaust their existing stock of Gibson-brand electric guitars "within weeks," according to Phil Rich, vice president of guitar merchandise. Other smaller retailers have already depleted existing supplies.

The company also has production facilities in Memphis; Bozeman, MT; and at least five in China. Gibson declines to specify dollar amounts on the damage but has indicated that production was already oversold and that the plant will not be back to full production until July. Look for supplies of some Gibson models to become extremely thin.