Born
in New York City in 1952, I developed a love for and fascination
with the guitar at an early age. I had the opportunity to attend
many recitals, including performances by Andre Segovia, Julian
Bream and Sabicas, among others, and became completely entranced
by the guitar's possibilities.
In
my late teens, I began an apprenticeship with the talented New
England luthier Clark Voorhees, who passed away in the late 1970's.
Besides his ability to consistently create precisely built and
wonderful sounding instruments, he had an extraordinary aesthetic
sense. I can still hear his guiding voice as I continue to build,
combined with the voice and style I've developed over these many
years. At the same time I studied wood technology, the knowledge
of which has been immensely helpful ever since. Combining technical
knowledge with a strong intuitive sense has helped me create guitars
that have the more elusive, magical qualities along with light
weight, stability and exceedingly rare visits to the repair shop.
Early
in my career, I had the opportunity to meet William Conway. He
became quite interested in my work and his subsequent commission
was a luthiers' dream- Build the finest possible classical guitar
and he would send a monthly check, for one year, that would cover
my living expenses. I used this time for experimentation- six
different soundboards on the one guitar, several of these receiving
different bracing schemes. The completed guitar was a lovely instrument,
Bill still plays it, 25 years later.
Shortly after that, I engaged in an exchange of ideas and plans
with Abraham Wechter, which culminated in the 13 string guitar
(see photo in Gallery section), a Brazilian rosewood instrument
similar to John McClaughlin's.
Since
then, I've continued to build custom guitars for discerning individuals,
one at a time, shying away from "production" instruments.
I have great respect for the finer production guitars and guitar
makers, but I have come to enjoy the process of working with each
guitarist, developing a clear understanding of their needs and
desires, and bringing that focus to each guitar, to each client.
