Instruments

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Instruments

What I Make

I make acoustic guitars and ukuleles, specializing in smaller body guitars and soprano, concert, tenor, bass, and baritone ukuleles. I am hoping to change the idea that endangered exotic woods are the only appropriate materials for a great acoustic instrument so I prefer to use local, sustainable woods such as maple, oak, ash, cherry and walnut. For tops I prefer to use Eastern European (Carpathian) spruce rather than Red spruce due to the thoughtful manner in which it is harvested and its proven track record of producing incredible soundboards for guitars and ukuleles.

Most of my instruments follow pre-war Martin patterns and forms, and are made almost completely by hand, only using basic shop machines and hand tools. Each neck is unique and shaped by hand, custom mother-of pearl inlay is sawed with a jeweler’s saw and hand inlaid, metal or wood inlay is also provided as an option.

Ukuleles

Guitars

Available Instruments

Available Instruments for Sale

Occasionally I will make a spec instrument or two and offer them for sale for folks looking to jump the line and who have fewer custom requests. Often these instruments are filling a void within my creative outlets so you’re getting exactly what I can’t wait to make, or simply something no one has ordered but that I am excited to try. Check back here or via social media to see what’s new and available immediately from my bench!

Maple and Red spruce 28-style concert ukulele

I made this ukulele soleley because I was excited to try that burly maple to see how it would end up sounding. I accompanied that maple set with a red spruce top and brace wood that came from Southwest Virginia. Because of the nature of the work, raw materials starting as a living thing already spanning generations, musical instruments come with a story even before they are strung and those first notes plucked out. This one is no different. The stories that the wood brings aside, just being the luthier to make this little being, I racked up some new life experiences along its production. I made new friends from sourcing that wood, and figured out a new skill spraying that burst, and learned a new song to test its first notes. The depth and volume of tone this small instrument brings wasn’t really what I had expected, it being so small and unassuming as it is. It loves fingerpicking as well as strumming and just seems happy to accompany your choice of style and song. Email me if you have any questions or would like to stop by my shop to give her a try! I’d truly love to show this one to you.