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We’re proud to announce we’ve signed Kevin Kopp up with our dream team, and we’ve already got a new build in the works. Stay tuned for that one coming up on the site. In the meantime, here’s a chat about life & lutherie we snagged with Kevin where we discuss his building style and what it’s like to live in Montana as a guitarmaker.

Here’s a link to all our past and present Kopp guitars: https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/builders/kopp.html. More coming soon!

LW: Let’s get down to it. What’s on your bench right now?

KK: Montana is not known for its tropical weather, so I try and build two runs a year to be shipped when the weather is not so inclement. I just shipped the spring batch out. So I’m nailing down the next orders, and staring down a list of Honey-Do’s at home.

LW: You have an aesthetic that appears to be informed by a vintage style. Can you speak to what it’s like to work within that framework? In what ways do you feel your work stands apart?

KK: Most acoustic folks are pretty conservative with their aesthetics, and that’s fine. We have a wonderful history to draw from. I feel I’ve been granted plenty of leeway to tinker with things under the hood. I don’t really feel constrained at all.

LW: You’ve built guitars for several incredible musicians, among them one of my personal all-time favorites, Darrell Scott. What’s it like working with a performer of that notoriety?

KK: Yeah, and Leo has always been one of my all time favorites too. I was definitely gob smacked at first, but if you are lucky enough to get to spend a little time with them, you realize that we are all just human beings. Talents, quirks, and all. It was kind of refreshing actually.

LW: Let’s shift gears a bit. Please describe your approach to voicing an instrument. How did you first find your voice, and how do you continue to experiment?

KK:I think I’m still expanding and refining my voice with every batch I build, that’s what makes it so fun. I don’t know if you ever really get to a place where you can say, “Yup, that’s as good as it gets!” Every new run throws challenges and opportunities at you. I think just trying to stay in tune (sorry) with your materials and the process and letting things become as intuitive as possible is what works for me. I do take notes, but I’m not a “test it, scientific” kind of guitar builder.

LW: Any interesting facts about your shop arrangement that you’d like to share?

KK: The interesting thing about shop space? Stuff always expands to occupy every available square foot!

LW: Other than building instruments, what do you enjoy doing?

KK: My wife and I really enjoy being out in nature up at the cabin. No cell phones, electricity, nothing! It’s wonderful! Love to forage for wild mushrooms and huckleberries, I like to cook. OK, I like to eat, so I got conscripted. Spending time with my dog hiking. Pretty simple basic stuff really. I enjoy the luxury of just being able to slow things down a little bit. Good for the soul!

LW: So, if you had not become a guitar maker, where do you think life would have led you?

KK: Well every morning I get up and thank my lucky stars for how I’m able to earn my keep! Besides, I was a terrible waiter. Don’t even want to think about being the 4th generation coal miner. No offense to miners.

LW: What music are you listening to right now?

KK: Actually I’ve been endowed with a pretty broad musical pallet. Really the only two things I don’t listen to are Rap and Opera. There is just so much good music out there available to us these days. It’s hard to even scratch the surface. I just found Marty O’Reilly and the Old Soul’s Orchestra album. “Pray for Rain,” That’s been on quite a bit the last couple of weeks. Old Blues, Gospel, Reggae, Hawaiian, Jazz (just got turned on to the 60-70s Ethiopian Jazz scene, who knew?)

LW: We loved the Nick Lucas model you sent us recently. Can you give us a sneak preview of what we can expect next?

KK: If you loved it, then hopefully more of the same! As a small builder I believe consistency is one of the most important traits I can foster in my work. Actually you should be getting a delivery in the mail in the next day or so.

We are super excited to now be working with Larry Brown, a.k.a Lawrence K. Brown. Larry has been building for decades and has likely built more instruments than most luthiers today. Larry was the head of the Lute Society of America, has crafted violas and cellos for orchestras, and built many guitars along the way.

Mr. Brown is one of the best kept secrets of the Carolinas and we are now proud to announce our partnership with him, offering six incredible guitars from L-00 copies and Dreadnoughts to SJs and Classicals. Larry builds amazing vintage inspired instruments such as the Martins and Gibsons of old but with a great modern twist of an adjustable neck design. The adjustment of one screw on the guitar can change the angle of the neck very easily and will never require a neck reset. This is a great feature for touring musicians dealing with the elements. With a few adjustments in minutes, perfect action can be achieved.

This is what Dream Guitars is all about. We get the amazing luxury of bringing a gem of a builder like Larry to a new audience of players and collectors across the world.

Watch the brief interview above with Larry and Paul discussing building, Larry’s prolific history, playing, the Asheville area, and more.

Also click here to see what’s currently in the shop from Larry. We hope to have more guitars from Larry in the near future but if you’re interested, act fast. They’re not hangin’ around here long!