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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.

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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". 

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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. 

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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.  

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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.  

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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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