After 60 plus years of modern guitar building, players still rely on only a few early designs, from a few famous factories. Some skilled builders have tried to address recognized flaws in each of those classic masterpieces without compromising the wonderful essence of them. After 40 years of playing those guitars, I realized the only way to get MY look, feel AND SOUND would be to build my own, AND I CAN BUILD YOURS!
If you want more than the same old same old, I have a lot to offer you as a player. I craft each guitar to your specs, without a corporation to add to the cost . You get a "custom shop/special order" or "left handed" at prices often lower than middle to high end factory instruments. Please, look at my "What's Special" page to check some of my standard features.
No factory. Just an expert craftsman creating guitars to customer specs. Tell me your dream, let's make it work. Select pictures from the galleries to get a taste of what I can build for you.
It's true that no guitar, wherever it's made, must be hand built to some extent. No machine can address all the facets of construction like a human hand.
THAT said, many operations can be done by machine, but at the cost of design flexibility. We all know what the necks of certain companies will feel like because they set their machinery up to "bulk out" the heavy work.
Did you ever wish you could get the bullet proof assembly and "quack" of a certain California build with the feel of one of those old "baseball bat" necks? Or maybe a semi hollow body with a quarter sawn solid wood top and back instead of laminate build? How about left handed custom anything at the same price as an equivalent “righty” instrument?
This is how it's done. No line to shut down and retool, no corporate structure to support, just me and my tools, and your input to create your dream machine of tone.
As we move further into our digital new world order, I'm finding that it will be more convenient to provide a gallery page of the collected reviews which have been written about my instruments.
Having links to the reviews on line has worked for some of the articles, but several had pre-dated the digitization of Vintage Guitar's content, and more print publishers are finding it necessary to require subscriptions and log-ins for on line issues to stay in business. One review for my Big Red Archtop will still be accessible by link, simply because it was a three page article with sound clips connected to it (thank you Jason Shadrick at Premier Guitar!)
You'll find a note in the specific guitar gallery pages if there is a review available for that instrument that you would like to read.
For over a decade, Vintage Guitar Magazine has provided me with solid and interesting information about guitars and the people who play, build, and maintain them.
They have also been very supportive for me as a new builder. I can't thank them enough for that. I feel honored to be able to have been included in the ranks of their Approved Gear.
If you aren't familiar with their publication yet, I suggest trying an issue or two. It's available digitally and on News stands.
My show schedule is pending. The pandemic is still showing its effects on public attendance and promoter offerings. For the present, please browse through my pages to see if there’s an instrument you might be interested in from stock, or if there might be something special you’d like to talk with me about as a new project.
I’ve been building a few single ended amplifiers from kits during the pandemic and will be listing a couple of those on this site soon.
If you happen to be in the Mid-Hudson valley, and would like to stop in to try an instrument, give me some advance notice and we’ll make some arrangements. Hyde Park is a cultural destination with Historic river view mansions, including the FDR presidential home and library, the Walkway Over the Hudson, and the Culinary Institute of America, and numerous parks and other attractions.
You’ll find a contact link at the bottom of my menu listings.
Photo taken at the Farmington, CT Northeast Guitar Expo October 2016
No shop survives on new builds alone. I’m proud to say that after decades of restoring fine antiques, teaching jewelry fabrication, and working as a semi-conductor equipment installer, I am able to apply those skills to some of the most challenging repairs needed in lutherie. In the mods and repair section, you can see descriptions of several instruments that needed repairs for their bridge, neck, body, headstock, and combinations of all of those together.
Pricing is always fair and reasonable with owner’s approval for all work prior to commencement. There’s no “bench fee and estimates are free.