12/16/2017
About The Lutheirs Bench
When I graduated with my B.S, in chemistry back in 1982, the classical guitar teacher I was studying announced that he was taking off to Canada and he wanted to introduce and recommend me to his teacher, who at that time was the chairman of the guitar department at the New England Conservatory. I eventually started studying at the NEC and also became very interested in playing the lute. I couldn’t afford a lute, so I picked up a “build your own lute kit” and made one in the kitchen of my apartment. It was terrible.
The young lady I was dating at that time, a very accomplished classical guitarist, was very proud of it and wanted to show it off to everyone. One of those people we showed it off to was a luthier she had used it the past (and who eventually develop into one of the best luthiers in New England).
He looked it over for what seemed to be forever, looked at the sound board and the rosette, looked at the back and neck, tried the tuning pegs and finally turned to me and said “ok, I know where all your mistakes are”. I gave him a sheepish smile and said “OK’ thinking to myself “I know where a lot of them too”. Then he said “how would you like to go down into the shop and I’ll show you how to fix them”. I jumped at the opportunity.
We spent a couple hours in the shop; he would show me something and then watch me work for a while. At the end of the night I asked him if the ever took on any apprentices’. He said “call me next week, let me think about it”. Well, evidently he must have thought I had some talent. Starting the next week I spent the next few years in the shop every Monday night from 6-11 (back when I was younger and could stay up that late).
We started by making a dulcimer then graduated to a guitar and then a violin. I still have the guitar. If you have read the story in the “caring for your instrument” link about not leaving an instrument to close to a heating duct… that’s the guitar.
That guitar spent 10 years being dragged from one gig to another by my classical guitarist girlfriend; we raised 2 kids and taught them to play with that guitar, and then it disappeared for about 10 years becoming the in-house guitar for Birkwood studios. And then it came back to me. I spent the time making other instruments and picking up another bunch of degrees in physics and applying my science background to instrument making.
The Luthier's Bench is a small shop producing instruments slowly and meticulously by hand. In my shop, there is one luthier... me. That way I can honestly assure my customers that I have control over every piece of the instrument from beginning to end. Close attention to all the details, such as hand voicing the top and back plates, careful neck setup, the things often missing in production guitars, is fundamental in each and every instrument (whether that instrument is intended for a professional musician or a beginning student).
The advantage to building a few instruments at a time from start to finish is being able to control the response and tonal characteristics as each instrument progresses through the entire build process. This process takes time, and a commitment to achieving the fullest tonality and vibrance the wood has to offer. I have studied wood for years and have learned to work with the wood, not to fight against it. I let the wood tell me where to place the braces and how thick the soundboard and back should be. If this is the type of care and detail you want in your next instrument, then call me and lets talk.
