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There are a lot of smart, capable folks in the world of
lutherie. We are in the Golden Age, there's no doubt about it. Here are
a few of my most esteemed colleagues in the world of fretted instruments
- who are at least accessible through the internet.
Now, Sobell guitars had always seemed to be in the hands of effete, cultist "celtic" players and didn't grab my attention until one day, after refretting one for someone, I sat strumming it, checking for buzzes and sharp spots. Suddenly, an hour later I was still playing it and I realized what a truly extraordinary guitar it was. Sustain and overtones in abundance. No American guitar made sounds like it did. Never mind the looks, it's simply not engineered like any other guitar - nor does it sound like any other. I admire luthiers who can do something really different, and Stefan certainly has succeeded here. I own a bunch of guitars, but only really play a few of them. My Sobell Sicilian is a mainstay, a deeply satisfying guitar. Recording engineers can't get over it either. Stefan Sobell lives in a little town out in the country, way up almost to Scotland, so you'll probably never get there. Instead, you can visit his website at his website.
 Gryphon
Stringed Instruments
Co-owners Richard Johnston and Frank Ford have had this shop in Palo Alto, just south of San Francisco, since dinosaurs roamed the Stanford campus, and it's a good thing. They're the Bay Area's premier shop, and they do it all: every kind of string instrument, new and used, books, a great repair department, concerts, lessons - you name it, they do it, and do it exceedingly well. Gryphon Stringed InstrumentsTheir homepage is at www.GryphonStrings.com Not only that, Frank Ford is a wonderful repairman, a most ingenious guy and long an inspiration to me. He has his own related website, dealing with instruments and so forth, at www.frets.com That Frank can keep his repair department rolling while also doing his website is a testament to something. Please drop by, and tell him Groucho sent you. If you want to just email him, try him at frankjoy@aol.com
Flip Van Domberg Scipio Flip is located on Staten Island. He is a graduate of the musical instrument technology course at the London College of Furniture & Interior Design. Flip was the former head of repair at the Guild guitar factory and Mandolin Brothers before starting his own shop. His work is stunning. They don't make people like him any more. If he can't fit it in, he'll be able to recommend someone. His phone number is (718) 720-0325. Flip also has his own web site at http://www.scipio.com
Phone them at 517-372-7890 Monday - Saturday from 9am to 5pm EST Check their website at http://www.elderly.com/ Email them at information@elderly.com
Marc Silber has been dealing in second hand instruments like guitars, Hawaiian guitars, mandolins, ukuleles, banjos and so forth, for the past forty years. He is also making new acoustic instruments such as guitars, ukulele, and Hawaiian guitars, under the name Marc Silber Guitars (formerly K & S Guitars).
Marc knows a whole lot. He's a person to just talk to, for historical
information and for his unique perspectives on a wide variety of things.
 Among other things, he teaches lessons in roots of American guitar styles in Berkeley. Sometimes he goes out in the woods to do it. His website is at http://www.marcsilbermusic.com/ Contact Marc Silber by email at marc@marcsilbermusic.com His phone & fax are (510) 843-2883 Send him a letter at Marc Silber
www.pantheonguitars.com is the new home of Dana Bourgeois Guitars. The old site, www.bourgeoisguitars.com, still works too, but here you'll find online specials and progress reports on how this operation is doing these days. For an explanation of who Pantheon is and what's up, check here: http://www.pantheonguitars.com/news/news_home.htm Dana Bourgeois has honed his skills as a custom builder, restorer of vintage guitars, teacher of other luthiers, and consultant to the industry. Since 1974 he has specialized in building traditionally styled flattop guitars, and has built fine archtop guitars since 1982. I have admired his work for many years. Dana has recently been through legal and commercial hell, having been associated with a multinational electronics giant that chewed up his entire operation and spat it out in December 1999. (If you want to see how lame and petty they are, see what they did to his old website here: www.danabourgeois.com Care to buy that domain name?) He escaped with some of his assets and a portion of his staff, and has finally regrouped in a new shop at 2 Cedar Street, in Lewiston, Maine. Because their focus is no longer on production volume, Dana will have the opportunity for greater hands-on involvement than he has enjoyed in recent years. His jumbo OM is one of the more unique guitars I have ever encountered.
Back in 1978, I instigated both their F and H models. The H was reissued as a 25th Anniversary special model to my original specs at the 2002 NAMM show in Anaheim, California. I was thrilled about seeing the model coming back "to origins." The H-4 prototype I kept from the original batch remains my steady favorite guitar. And the son of the original owner of H-6 from that same batch is actually working there now and building the new guitar! This is but one of many fine models these folks build. Please visit them at http://www.santacruzguitar.com or contact them somehow at 151 Harvey West Boulevard, Suite C, Santa Cruz, California 95060 USA. Phone remains (831) 425-0999, fax is 425-3604, and email them at: scgc@cruzio.com
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One
of my favorite luthiers is Stefan Sobell. As a repair person, I have worked
on, then strung up and played, about a trillion guitars. I don't mean to
boast, but I have just about seen it all.
Elderly Instruments
is a music store and mail-order service featuring a huge stock of new and
used guitars, basses, amplifiers, effects, banjos, mandolins, fiddles,
dulcimers, harmonicas, accordions, bodhrans, and many other instruments,
plus an extensive selection of instructional books and videos, plus 1000's
of hard-to-find CD's & cassettes. They are to the midwest as Gryphon
is to the Pacific edge. Wonderful people.
He
says: "Repairs are considered."
Last
but certainly not least of course, there are my old friends, Santa Cruz
Guitar. I knew the original trio of partners before they had met one another
and started the company in a garage on Santa Cruz's west side, and have
worked closely with them off and on ever since. The one remaining partner,
Richard Hoover, is still cheerfully and enthusiastically leading the effort,
and this is a good thing.