All of my life I have held a deep appreciation of hand craftsmanship and music. From my great uncle's rural Ohio woodshop to urban museums of fine art and from my mother's sewing to Maori jade carving. I have always been fascinated and moved by objects of beauty and functionality brought into existence by the human heart and hand.
When I was ten years old I started my first woodworking project. Making wooden swords for my friends to fight the forces of evil (which ran rampant in the backyard) propelled me into an endless variety of arts, crafts, and hobbies as a teenager. Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of sitting at the family dinner table listening to my older sister's record player while humming, banging silverware, or singing along with everything from Henry Mancini to Loretta Lynn. I started playing drums when I was eleven and at fourteen I received a most wonderful gift from my parents, a guitar. Nothing helped me make it through a long illness more than trying to learn to play that instrument. Through good times and trials nothing has sustained me more than my drive to create useful beauty and music except for my love of nature.
Nothing nurtures the spirit like the natural world. The heart-stopping views and infinite variety of our Creator's universe are a constant source of joy and solace. I have a particular fondness for trees, both standing and as timber. Standing at the workbench I often find myself mesmerized by figure in the wood or the swirl of the shell. It is good to draw inspiration from the natural materials held in hand while working.
One autumn day, with a tray full of cappuccinos in my hand, it all came clearly together for me. When I was eighteen I worked in a coffee house where Jamon Zeiler had a standing Friday night gig. Right away I noticed his wonderful and unique guitar and when things slowed down at the end of the night I asked him about it. When he told me he had made it I knew exactly what I was supposed to do with my life.
I started reading everything I could find about building and repairing guitars and after bugging Jamon almost every Friday night for months he finally let me come out to his shop. I began a year and half long apprenticeship where Jamon graciously taught me as much as possible while working on several Zeiler guitars. I then designed and built my first guitar with Jamon's help.
In the spring of 1997 I went to Phoenix , Arizona to study guitar construction and repair at The Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery. While at Roberto-Venn I was able to participate in seminars and receive instruction from such renowned luthiers as William Eaton, Frank Ford, Charles Fox, John Reuter, Ervin Somogyi, Don Teeter, Kent Hamblin, and Rick Turner. My previous experience helped me get the most out of my time there and allowed me to graduate in the top five percent of my class.
After graduation I returned home to Cincinnati, Ohio and began taking on repair work for The Famous Old Time Music Company. Through FOMC I had the privilege of working on many fantastic vintage instruments. Familial obligations forced me to give up luthiery and work exclusively as a custom cabinetmaker and finish carpenter for many years.
I have finally had the opportunity to establish my own shop and business fulfilling my dream of building musical instruments. I would like to thank my friends, family, and valued customers for their encouragement and support in this endeavor.
