About Me
I was a young child when I realized the joy and feeling of accomplishment that comes from creating something with my own hands. In grade school I couldn’t wait for art class to begin. The introduction to drawing and painting taught me not only to look, but to really see and pay attention to each minuscule detail. It was in junior and senior high school shop classes that I developed a love for woodworking. I was fascinated by how the wood responds to it’s environment, expanding and contracting as it interacts with temperature and humidity changes. I was also intrigued by the engineering necessary to construct a piece in a way that would work with these movements without tearing itself apart. I still have a desk and large cabinet in daily use that I built as a teen 4 decades ago.
I became interested in building musical instruments in 2008, and have been focusing on guitars since 2014. I am an eco-friendly builder using only sustainable materials. No endangered species are used in my instruments. The highest quality materials available are sourced from all over the world and include local woods when possible. I select each piece based primarily on it’s acoustic properties and secondly on it’s visual beauty.
I was a young child when I realized the joy and feeling of accomplishment that comes from creating something with my own hands. In grade school I couldn’t wait for art class to begin. The introduction to drawing and painting taught me not only to look, but to really see and pay attention to each minuscule detail. It was in junior and senior high school shop classes that I developed a love for woodworking. I was fascinated by how the wood responds to it’s environment, expanding and contracting as it interacts with temperature and humidity changes. I was also intrigued by the engineering necessary to construct a piece in a way that would work with these movements without tearing itself apart. I still have a desk and large cabinet in daily use that I built as a teen 4 decades ago.
I became interested in building musical instruments in 2008, and have been focusing on guitars since 2014. I am an eco-friendly builder using only sustainable materials. No endangered species are used in my instruments. The highest quality materials available are sourced from all over the world and include local woods when possible. I select each piece based primarily on it’s acoustic properties and secondly on it’s visual beauty.
My Process
My approach to instrument building is from an artist’s perspective. With respect for traditional methods, I also experiment and incorporate my own original ideas. I often wake well before sunrise with an idea anxious to get in the shop and bring it to fruition. I prefer working with hand tools when possible, using power tools only for some of the larger tasks. This process can not be rushed, there is a time for action and a time for inaction. As with good music, the spaces between the notes are as important as the notes themselves. Time is necessary for wood to acclimate to a shape it has been bent, for glue to set, and for finishes to dry and harden. Each guitar is designed and built one at a time without the use of a mold. I use intuition as my guide to carve, bend, and shape each piece before combining them to make a unique one of a kind instrument that I am proud to put my name on.
My approach to instrument building is from an artist’s perspective. With respect for traditional methods, I also experiment and incorporate my own original ideas. I often wake well before sunrise with an idea anxious to get in the shop and bring it to fruition. I prefer working with hand tools when possible, using power tools only for some of the larger tasks. This process can not be rushed, there is a time for action and a time for inaction. As with good music, the spaces between the notes are as important as the notes themselves. Time is necessary for wood to acclimate to a shape it has been bent, for glue to set, and for finishes to dry and harden. Each guitar is designed and built one at a time without the use of a mold. I use intuition as my guide to carve, bend, and shape each piece before combining them to make a unique one of a kind instrument that I am proud to put my name on.
My Shop
My small one person shop is located just a few steps from my door in the woods of Door County, Wisconsin, USA. It is nestled amongst the mixed hardwoods of red oak, sugar maple, black ash, beech, white birch, with some white pine and hemlock mixed in. Wildlife abounds just outside the windows with frequent sightings of deer, turkeys, bald eagles, various hawks, small mammals, woodpeckers, and songbirds. The interior climate is controlled for wood storage and guitar building purposes with temperature range 60-72 F and humidity range 40-50% year round. As you enter you’re immediately drawn by the scents of spruce and cedar with the hint of sweet spices released by the tooling of exotic hardwoods. Occasionally there may be music playing and rhythmic body movements, not to be confused with dance, as I carve and tool wood to shape. But the sounds most often heard are the songs of birds and the singing of a keen edge tool slicing wood with shavings falling to the floor. Most of my woke hours are spent here, this is my place for calm contemplation, where ideas develop, and dreams are realized. Customers are welcome and encouraged to come share the enthusiasm, to check out the selection of guitars for sale, and to handle and play various body and neck styles. If you’re in the market for a custom built instrument, I have a wide selection of guitar tops in stock to choose from. I’ve achieved my goal when a musician picks up a guitar, plays a few notes, and their face lights up. I know they’ll love that guitar as much as I do. Contact me:
920-737-7885
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