I have always been drawn to working with my hands. I have built just about everything, from go-carts at a young age, to custom skateboards in high school, to restoring my 1900 Victorian flat as an adult. While doing my undergraduate and graduate studies in classical guitar, I supported myself by building custom surfboards in San Diego, CA. A lifelong guitarist, I studied with the Romero family for nearly a decade.After college, I became interested in flamenco guitar. A good friend of mine traveled to Spain in search of new guitars for both of us, but was less than successful. I soon became driven to build myself one. Upon completing my first guitar, I took it to famed flamenco guitarist Jason McGuire (El Rubio), who exclaimed upon playing it, “You f***er!”. Jason had had the same idea after his last trip to Spain, but his attempt had ended up “a pile of firewood in my garage”. Jason traded his 1961 Ramirez flamenco guitar for this instrument, and encouraged me to take up lutherie as a career. I learned the basics of guitar building from Brian Burns. I went on to refine my skills with Pepe Romero Jr. Most recently, I have studied with Eric Monrad, whose innovations and craftsmanship have been paramount in shaping my sound and aesthetic. I have also been influenced and inspired by the guitars of Daniel Friedrich and Robert Ruck