My goal is to create instruments that are made by hand, are made of sustainable materials, and are at a pricepoint a working musician can afford. The backs and sides of my guitars are from salvaged material I have collected over the years. The spruce tops I source from suppliers that reclaim fallen timber and mill it into high quality soundboard material. I favor simple, elegant appointments for a classic timeless look, and varnish finishes that feel great under the hand and let the woods speak.
I’ve learned that custom work is not for me. I’ve built guitars for folks and enjoyed the process of working through what a player wants and needs in a guitar, but I found out pretty quick that I didn’t like the pressure of trying to create this specific thing for this specific person. So I choose to build for myself. I build what I feel like building. That way I have some continuity in my process so that I am taking what I’ve learned from each build into the next one.
I then offer what I have made to The List. The List is made up of people I have met along the way that have showed interest in my work. When I complete an instrument I offer it to The List. The person who is highest up on The List gets the right of first refusal. If they decline, they keep their place in The List and it is offered to the next person in line.
Besides building my own instruments I love to take basket case guitars that are made of quality materials and rebuild them to play like new. If you’ve got one of those, let me know!