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Andersen, Steven Learn More +
I am fortunate enough to be able to spend a large portion of my time doing something that I truly love. From the time I built my first guitar while in high school, I knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life, though I wasn't sure it was possible. Of course, at the time I had a rather naive view of how to go about it. Something like "just build great guitars and people will beat a path to your door to get them."I never would have imagined the breadth of skills I've had to learn (and am still learning) along the way. Photography, bookkeeping, tool design and construction, metalworking, advertising, customer relations, computer skills, tonewood harvesting and processing, carbon graphite composites and electronics are all skills I've acquired over the years. Of course, learning such things has improved my instruments, but if I'd had a clue when I first ventured into guitarmaking, I might have opted for something a bit "easier."One element of my work that I continually strive to improve upon is relationships with customers. For me, the process of building an instrument starts with talking to the customer, making sure I have a clear idea of what is desired. Also, the customer should have a clear idea of choices and options. If I've communicated well up to this point, the actual building process is fairly straightforward. When it comes time to build that particular instrument, the key is bringing to bear a keen intuitive sense based on over 30 years of guitarmaking experience. I consider the process of building an instrument incomplete until the finished instrument is in the player's hand.An important first step in working with you is developing a relationship based on fairness and honesty. I maintain fair and consistent pricing across all of the instruments I build - and I'm very particular about quoting an accurate and realistic delivery schedule. Based on the lead time some of my instruments require, I'm proud of the fact that I can consistently hit my quoted delivery date, usually within just a few days.
I built my first guitar in 1973 in Phoenix, AZ. I was in high school physics class, and a friend who also played guitar told me about a shop he had visited over the weekend. He said they were making guitars, and in fact anyone could go in and build a guitar for a small fee. Well, I went to check it out, and it was true. The shop was open from noon to midnight and the owner would help you build a guitar. I was 17, a junior in high school, and to me, this was pretty cool stuff. I signed on to build a 12-string guitar. It took about six months, but I ended up with a guitar I had made myself, and I was hooked. In 1976, the guitar shop where I had built my guitar became the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery. This was one of the first schools of its kind, and I decided to attend. For me, this was my first introduction to the idea that one could make guitars for a living.
From the early 1990’s until today my main focus has been building archtop guitars, although I continue to offer mandolins and flattop guitars.
Seattle, Washington
Bill Frisell, Tony Marcus
Archtop, Streamline, Gold Standard, Oval Hole
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