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what about gregoire guitars

I Come At This Differently Than Most ....

Quite randomly, while vacationing on Vancouver Island in 2006, I discovered luthier training at Summit School, in Qualicum Beach, B.C.  After inquiring, I signed up for one month of set-up and repair in the summer of 2007.

At Summit School, Sigmund, Mike and Arlen introduced me to the wonders of lutherie.   That first experience left me with lots of insight and practical guitar knowledge.  I was hooked; I went back to Summit for one week every summer for 10 years, doing a small, different project each year.  I took lots of notes and asked lots of questions about what I was doing.    One of those three gentlemen noted that I was "... anal enough that [I] could be good at this". 

Whenever I could, I worked on guitars of friends who were musicians.

 

​After retiring from a lifetime of income tax and accounting in the big and wonderful corporate world, I jumped into full time luthier training and completed Summit's One Year Master Program in 2018. 

I am a Buzz Feiten Certified Retro-Fitter; I have read a good deal of what Ervin Somogyi has written and keep his books close-by in my shop; I am an active member of the Art of Lutherie  and love the practical guidance from Tom Bills that finds its way into my guitar building. 

 

I have worked with professional guitar players, at times helping with their craft -  listening and helping with what they find important in their instruments.  

Throughout my life I have always wanted to understand the things that I deal with.  I actively seek out and listen to my advisors.  I have been a continual student of music.  


So here I am.  I focus on building a limited range of guitar styles that are simple, musician focused, beautiful sounding and incorporate some innovative and  unique ideas that I see work well.  My settling point is practical guitar building with stuff that seems to work well.  

As I tell my kids, 'I have fewer good years in front of me than I do behind me; why would I want to do something that hurts my ass'.    Right now I really enjoy my pursuit of  'all things luthier'. 

Look around my website to see what I like to do most days.   I hope you enjoy!

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