ABOUT ME...

and some good friends.

I built my first guitar when I was 15, in 1966. It was an electric guitar, which fell apart on our first gig. I looked down and the pickup was dangling from the control knobs. After that, I destroyed a classical guitar I had bought in a pawn shop by electrifying it with steel strings. My first significant effort was in 1970, when I built the classical guitar in the photo above; that's #1 - a very nice classical.  Over the years, it led the path of innovation, as the corners had a pronounced coupling effect between the top and the back–most noticeable in the bass. Since then my work has been curiosity driven toward innovation all the way. 

MY TIME WITH ERVIN SOMOGYI

"You have understood more in a shorter period of time than most of the luthiers I have trained."                                                                      -Ervin Somogyi

It was quite the privilege to enter into days of immersive studies with Ervin Somogyi as he applied the culmination of his immense work in guitar art and acoustic responsiveness. In my view he single-handedly changed the landscape of modern acoustic steel string construction worldwide. Although I already had fifty years of experience in lutherie, beginning in 1970, from the vantage of his shoulders I realized a whole plethora of opportunities for exploration and innovation in guitar construction than I had never understood before. Salute to you, Ervin! You are the father of modern steel string guitar construction.  I developed the acoustic basis for the Luthara with Ervin in his shop in Oakland, CA. (see photo)

The Development of the Luthara

1970

LUTHERIE

Built first classical guitar with corners coupling the top with the back.

1979

MFA RISD

Rhode Island School of Design / Masters in Industrial and Furniture Design

1989 ~ 2019

10 PATENTS

For original design and utility inventions.

2021

 ERVIN SOMOGYI

Protégé studies in acoustic responsiveness and design.

SCHOOL OF SOMOGYI

I am honored to be among this list of prestigious and gifted Somogyi apprentices and protégés shown in the poster below. Ervin asked me to design this poster for Mario Beauregard to be used in a luthier convention in Switzerland.

MY TIME WITH JAMES OLSON

 ...that James Taylor sound

"No doubt you can make a guitar that will sound as good as mine."

-James Olson

...but not as many, or as fast!  My time with world renowned luthier James Olson was absolutely incredible. He is a one man factory, who produces some of the finest guitars in the world. Since 1989, singer-songwriter James Taylor has collected at least eight guitars made by James Olson. There's something unique about the materials and structure that has become that signature James Taylor sound. In a relatively short time Jim was kind enough to pass a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the structure and theory behind that incomparable JT sound. 

MY TIME WITH WAYNE HENDERSON

"Play a steel string guitar made of cherry, blindfolded, next to a Brazilian and you won't be able to tell the difference!"

 -Wayne Henderson

And that's one of the reasons I build cherry guitars. Aside from being an incredible bluegrass player, Wayne Henderson is an outstanding luthier. I got to know him after reading the book written about him, "Eric Clapton's Guitar", and because he also lives in Virginia. Working all his life in Mouth of Wilson, deep in the Appalachians, he's made over eight hundred guitars, based on the famed CF Martin design. "One of a kind" doesn't even come close to describing this gent.  I wanted to learn from him why his guitars sound better than Martins, and what his basic approach is to bracing. After spending some time with him, I left with one of the last Appalachian red cedar soundboards and a good grasp of how he achieves the stellar tone that is the hallmark of his guitars. 

A DAY WITH BOB TAYLOR

"You certainly torrefied the top of that Yardbyrd guitar and that's why it sounds the way it does."

      -Bob Taylor

"I own a very nice Taylor Concert Classical guitar, which is as easy to play as any guitar my hand has ever danced around on. Even though he's very busy, Bob Taylor was gracious enough to spend a day with me in another personal enquiry as to what goes into the making of an extraordinary guitar. He gave me one insight after another from his experiential perspective on current processes, theory, acoustics, finishes, as well as the substantive environmental and material conservation behind Taylor's incredible production. I was able to review and play some of their latest experimental models. What that man and all those who have helped him has achieved in their time, from beginning in a small shop to the world's largest producer of factory guitars, is nothing short of a monument to human ingenuity."       

Inside the Martin Service Center at Nazareth

"To Mark Giordano: In recognition of his appointment as a Fully Authorized Service Center, this appointment attests to Martin's belief in your abilities to service our customers with integrity and a high level of technical skill."

-C.F. Martin IV

Not much in the world of hybrid, production-handmade guitars compares to Martin. Aside from setting the standard for guitar building and acoustics for over 150 years, the CF Martin company essentially created the steel-string acoustic as it is in our time. We owe more to them than just recognition as a historically developed company. We owe the wonder of the instrument, its culture, and its widespread use to their primary development and influence. I am honored to help secure the longevity of their instruments through their lifetime warranty program. They don't have to, but they continue to cover manufacturer's defects to all registered, original owners. The company is excelled by no other for its corporate noblesse.