The hand behind the work.

Where it started.

Sir Edmund Hillary's Everest attempt didn't start at the base camp. Decades of hard work and determination played into his success. At the young age of eleven, I began working in the shadow of my father, who built houses for a living. From menial tasks such as straightening nails all the way to mastering fine finishes, three decades of woodworking created in me an appreciation for details. My evolution from carpenter to luthier started in 2008 when jobs were scarce and time was plentiful. Craft and music intersected as I sat on my couch playing guitar and curiously asked the question "I wonder how this is made?" From that point, months of research and renewed library books launched me into my first guitar build. The hook was set, the adrenaline was real, and I embarked on an expedition in pursuit of knowledge, skill, listening, and the dream of success.

The Great Northern years.

From 2008 to 2017 I built 23 guitars under the name Great Northern Guitar Company. Every new instrument was better than the previous, and I looked forward to the next build. I was still working as a construction project manager, yet found time in the evenings to focus on purfling miters, and glue joints.

In 2018 my family chose to embark on the journey to build a new home, leading my passion to be placed in storage until a future time. Five years later I would once again approach my work bench to begin building, but a realization had occurred during my time away. I realized I had begun to approach the proverbial ceiling of where my skill and understanding could take me. I needed to find a fresh approach, and new areas of learning to break through that barrier and into the next generation of my guitars. I needed to find a teacher.

Five weeks in Chelsea, Quebec.

In June of 2023 I traveled to the province of Quebec and entered the workshop of Sergei de Jonge. His respect among peers and the ability to teach the art of building a modern guitar made him the obvious choice to inspire my next phase of craftsmanship. Five weeks of intensive detail work followed, while many conversations around cups of coffee taught me a simple truth.

"Guitars are not just assembled, they are grown."

Tasks that before seemed forced and disjointed became choreographed steps in the logical creation of a new form. I filled a journal with notes and diagrams of Sergei's methods and tools. From detailed measurements of braces to the angles of approach with a chisel, I tried to absorb as much as I could.

Guitar No. 025 was birthed in the sawdust of that shop. It didn't resemble the work of an artist like Michelangelo, but to me it represented the most honest guitar I had ever made.

At the end of those five weeks, I returned home and instantly began working on Guitar No. 026 whose purpose was to replicate what I had accomplished in Sergei's shop, but in my own space with my own tools.

The work now.

Each guitar I make is the evolution of what I have learned up to that point. My own need to innovate and create drives each build as a unique moment in time, but with one guiding objective: to make an honest guitar.

In 2025 I presented at the La Conner Guitar Festival in La Conner, Washington, and brought with me Guitar No. 032 "Skagit Spring" as an example of my artist collaboration series. An instrument whose goal is to bring two independent art forms into a single form. I enjoy the journey of bringing materials, stories and music into a singular object that can move forward to inspire and captivate both the player and listener.

A builder who plays.

I have always appreciated well built and comfortable guitars. I know that as a musician all barriers need to be removed to create soulful melodies and driving rhythms. As a player myself I know the difference between a guitar shaped object, and an extension of the musician. My goal as a luthier is to make not just a guitar that I can play, but will help you be as authentic as possible... the honest guitar.