About me

I have always been drawn to working with my hands.  I have built just about everything from go carts as a child, custom skateboards in junior high, to restoring my 1868 Victorian flat in S.F. as an adult. While doing my undergraduate and graduate studies in classical guitar with Pepe, Celin, and Celedonio Romero  in college at San Diego State, I supported myself by shaping custom surfboards.

After college I taught the Alexander Technique for many years.  But I really missed building things.  A good friend of mine went to Spain to get a new guitar and I asked him to get one for me.  After three months he came home with a few mediocre instruments, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. For fun I decided to build a flamenco guitar.  I took it to famed flamenco guitarist Jason McGuire who exclaimed upon playing it, "You f#%$@er!".  Jason had the same idea after his last trip to Spain, but his attempt had ended up a "Pile of firewood in my garage".  He ended up buying that instrument and encouraged me to take up luthiery as a career.  After building a number of flamenco guitars I began building classical guitars as classical guitar was my passion in life.