The shop is my favorite place and is where I spend most of my time. It is divided into several sections that serve for wood storage, machining, staging and assembly. The following sections describe my building principles and practices. Pictures change, so be sure to stop by often.

The equipment used in building guitars can vary significantly from builder to builder. During my first years of building, I used hand tools almost exclusively in order to learn the classic tried and true methods employed by instrument builders for centuries. This is where I learned respect for the tradition of the craft. For the past few years I have incorporated more modern power equipment to help where accuracy and repeatability could be improved. Nonetheless, many of the most critical operations are still carried out with the use of highly sharpened edge tools such as planes and chisels. By using the “quiet tools” one can better hear the voice of the wood and learn how it wishes to sing.

Jointing the edges of top wood	Joining the top
Thickness sanding a back	Bridge shaping on the router table

Wood is moisture sensitive and needs to be properly conditioned prior to building. In order to control the natural movement of wood, I keep the shop at a humidity level of 42% to 48% year round. I hope you treat your guitars as kindly as well!! Over time, I have acquired wood of high quality and have been storing it for years in my shop.

Top Wood…I purchase top wood of various species any time I can personally select it for stiffness, tone and stability. I keep tops stickered in my humidity controlled area for at least 1 year prior to building. This includes an inventory of Sitka, Adirondack, Euro and Lutz Spruce as well as Western Red Cedar and Redwood tops. Depending on the player’s preferred style and musical genre, we can select the species that will best suit his needs. Much of the wood for tops is already re-sawn into slices that are evaluated for stiffness and tap tone. I only select top wood that I can personally evaluate for structural and musical qualities.

Backs & Sides...For backs and sides, I select wood from reliable and dedicated sources that has been dried and aged properly. In many cases, I am able to secure thick billets directly from the sawmill and store them for years in my shop prior to resawing into sets. I have a fairly large variety of sets to compliment the top selection. While most players are generally familiar with the tonal differences between Rosewood and Mahogany, there are a myriad of tonal nuances that can be achieved from scores of exotic & domestic species ranging from the far corners of the world to our own county forests. Feel free to be bold or simple in your selection. Most of your tonal needs can be met based upon the top we select, so consider the selection of back and side wood as an opportunity to create a unique aesthetic vision of your hand-made guitar. Other options apart from the standard Indian Rosewood and Honduras Mahogany include everything from domestic hardwoods to rare Brazilian Rosewood.

Rosette, Headplate, Binding and Purfling…Once you have selected the wood for your top, back and sides, we can use our imagination and design the rosette, headplate and binding & purfling appointments to compliment that choice. The materials and design elements can be selected to achieve a minimalist appearance or to make a bolder and more formal statement. I have the experience and ability to use simple treatments or extensive purfling schemes from Mother of Pearl or Abalone inlays as requested. I want the aesthetic design process to be freewheeling and creative. This is your guitar and your input is particularly important at this stage. There is no hurry...I encourage that interactive suggestions can be offered and changes can always be made in the design phase. It’s important to explore and settle on the designs early rather than be faced with cost and delay issues resulting from changes made later in the building phase.

I consider the neck to be one of the most important aspects of the guitar. It is the most intimate component of the instrument that provides the primary tactile attention from the musician. Neck building is an art in itself and deserves as much attention to the tiniest of details as the voicing of the body of the guitar. I have chosen to build all of my necks using wood that has been aged and stabilized in my shop for years prior to building. My necks are laminated with 5 sections where attention is paid to grain direction and structural stability, stiffness and straightness. I use the finest aged and stabilized Honduras Mahogany for my necks. Other options include Cherry or Black Walnut. They are always laminated down the center with three 1/8” strips that can include any combination of Hard Maple, Bloodwood, Rosewood or Walnut. In addition to stability achieved from the laminate components, I also imbed 2 carbon fiber rods along the entire length of the neck and into the headstock area. Finally, each neck is equipped with a double action truss rod that adds further reinforcement and allows for the neck to be adjusted for precise relief and playing action. It would be far easier to purchase a pre-fabricated neck from the many sources available but then I would not have the level of control of the final product as I feel I need and that which a serious musician deserves.

Finishes

It is often said by luthiers that once the guitar is built, it is only half completed. We seem to discuss finishing issues as much as we discuss wood and construction aspects. Traditionally, acoustic guitars have been finished in nitrocellulose lacquer. Over time, these finishes yellow and acquire small surface checking as a result of becoming more brittle from losing its plasticizers through aging. Many guitar affectionados prefer the vintage look of yellowed nitro lacquer and who can argue that such an appearance bestows class on a pre-war Martin.

Over the years, I have used Nitrocellulose Lacquer successfully and would be using it today except for the fact that it is explosive and poses environmental issues for the custom builder without an OSHA-approved  spray booth. Alternatively, I have produced guitars using several of the modern waterborne lacquers that have been formulated with the instrument maker in mind. I rejected these as a result of the annoying bluish cast that they impart to the guitar as well as not being hard enough for my liking. Finally, my neighbor and friend, Joe White, introduced me to Catalyzed Polyester as a finish. I was immediately sold based upon the material’s neutral color, transparency and extreme hardness. In addition, because of its unique properties it can be applied more thinly than any other sprayed finish available. With Joe’s 30 years of experience, as well as having been accepted by professional luthiers across the country, I now farm out all of my guitars for his highly coveted finishes.

I also offer several alternative finishing options for consideration. My personal guitars are French Polished Shellac which gives an entirely different appearance and also offers a distinct performance advantage. The process of French Polishing involves a labor-intensive method of hand rubbing shellac into and on the wood until it imparts a very natural and organic appearance. It is the traditional finish used on the most sought after classical guitars. The process has been used for hundreds of years on many stringed instruments and appeals to my love of historical tradition. This is especially of interest to the player who seeks an alternative to the mirror shine of modern guitar finishes. Compared to the thin coat of polyester at .003”, a French Polished finish is less than half that thickness. This translates into a more active top for the ultimate in response. The downside to this finish is that it provides little or no protection from dings and damage from a variety of liquids, including alcohol. As a result, it requires extra care and periodic maintenance.

My personal guitars also have necks that have been finished in True Oil or Danish Oil. This imparts a dry satin sheen to the surface. To many that play these guitars, they comment on the dry feel and speed along the neck.

While 90% of the players today will choose the more familiar shiny and protective finishes such as polyester, I offer these alternatives for consideration when customizing your guitar.