I built my first guitar at age 17 (1978), under the direction of Bert Stein in Pittsburgh, PA. That first guitar, which I still have, had a gorgeous Brazilian Rosewood back and side (I had no idea that I was working with the premier guitar wood that is nearly impossible to get today!). Since then, I have honed my skills as a woodworker building furniture and finish carpentry, and started to seriously build wood instruments again about 10 years ago.  I recently retired from my “day-job” as a soil scientist and I am now 100 percent devoted to the art of lutherie. 

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I hand-build acoustic guitars, resonator guitars, and ukuleles. I build one instrument at a time in my shop in Boise, Idaho. Each instrument is one of a kind, built using the best available woods, customized to meet my customer’s specifications, but at the same time reflecting my design and building approach on what makes a great sounding and playing instrument. I build the entire instrument using hand tools and a few small power tools. Each instrument is hand-voiced to optimize volume, tone, and resonance. 

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As a musician, I understand the importance of playability and acoustics. I also try to build instruments to the customers playing style.  So look through the website and then contact me to discuss your customized hand-build instrument.