I was first introduced to guitar building in 1979 by my high school shop teacher, Thomas Newsome. Newsome had recently trained under Hascel Haile who was known for guitars he built for Chet Atkins. I built two guitars with Newsome in 1979-80.

After 15 years as a professional woodworker, I started building guitars on my own in 1995. I am lucky to live a few blocks from world class builder, Dake Traphagen. I have appreciated the ongoing benefit of his feedback, sound advice, and inspiration over the years.

In 1997, during a week of study with Charles Fox, I learned an approach to guitar building that helped me develop a system of production that is ideal for a small shop. It allows me to work with precision and repeatability while building unique instruments one at a time.

In 1998, I took a guitar repair workshop with Frank Ford. Ford is known far and wide as a master repairman and his web site, www.frets.com is an excellent resource for any guitar owner.

In 2007, I attended an intensive workshop with one of the world’s true authorities on guitar building, Ervin Somogyi. His class gave me an approach to voicing that enables me to build an exceptionally responsive guitar.