Before moving to California, I was raised into a third generation farming family in South Georgia.  My father was also a wood worker and not only built the house I grew up in, but built most of the furniture that occupied the house. I started working on the farm shortly after I began to walk and fortunately for me, this taught me problem solving skills as well as the basic understanding of building and working with my hands. I have always been attracted to traditional music and the way of life of the people that came far before my time. This runs parallel to my love for Martin Guitars from the late 20’s and 30’s. When I look at these instruments, I see perfection and anything that was altered over the following years was more for the ease of production and not the advancement in the design of the instrument.

            My first job was as a luthier in training working for the PW Crump Company. P.W. Crump had been building and repairing instruments in Arcata for nearly 45 years. He first agreed to take me on as a finish guy spraying banjo parts that were contracted with a local banjo company, Wildwood Banjos. After getting a handle on the finish work, I evolved to the construction of guitars as well as bouzouki bodies and necks. Phil had established quite the following of Irish musicians by making these instruments and created a niche in the already saturated guitar market. Phil was also the best repair guy in the area and had an enormous amount of patience and ability to solve complex repair issues. I quickly became obsessed with the repair world and was determined to advance my skill set at whatever length necessary.

  After a five-year period with Phil, and a desire to immerse myself in the depths of instrument repair, I searched out Randy Wood. Through much convincing, Randy agreed to take me on in his repair shop outside of Savannah. What followed was one of the more challenging times in my life. It was a sink or swim situation and the level of skills required were overwhelming. While Phil was gentle and patient in his transfer of knowledge, that was not the case with the legendary Randy Wood. Randy, through his days in Nashville with Tut Taylor and George Gruhn, literally invented and developed many of the repair techniques that are commonly used today. I grew to love Randy and his wife Irene and owe the bulk of my repair abilities to them. Randy is one of the greatest instrument builders and repairman in the world. Everything began and ended with his eye. I believe this was the single most important thing he wanted me to develop.  He wanted you to simply feel and know your work as if purely instinctual.

  I have returned to California and have been refining my skills and taking on new challenges in building and repair. I am lucky enough to now work with Eric Schoenberg of Schoenberg guitars as a repairman for their shop as well as continuing to build guitars that emulate the 1930’s Martin guitars that I first grew to love.