As far back as I can remember I was fascinated with things worked. Many times taking apart something mechanical without care of how to put it back together properly. This led to taking apart a violin, making it playable then asking to take lessons and learn how to unlock its magic.
I was dedicated to the violin for a few good years but by age 12 I heard the call of the "cool " musical instrument, the guitar! The teacher I had found only taught on an acoustic guitar so I wouldn't know about an amplified electric guitar for a few years. I learned chords pretty quickly and knew this was the musical instrument for me. At 16 the mechanical and musical knowledge came together and I decided to make a bass guitar. A jazz bass model with a body made of red oak. It was an attempt at being creative ...and I learned that oak was heavy.
In 1998 I was reminded that I was destined for luthiery and decided to change careers and attend a school of violin making. There I learned many old world methods of selecting and working tone-wood along with the virtue of patience. I studied lines, forms and ideas of the Italian masters and by age 30 I found my "calling".
Today I make electric guitars built with the knowledge from books, expert players, master makers and classical training from the violin making school.