Why me?
Building a guitar is a complex woodworking project and like any woodworking project, the key ingredients for success are craftsmanship and quality materials.
One experienced luthier told me: joinery matters. And it does, every guitar is made of about 100 individual pieces of wood, all glued together. It is well known that the acoustic properties of glue are not very good, so tighter joints mean less glue and better sonic performance. I am obsessive with my joinery: top and back plates are joined with a handplane, braces are planed before gluing, neck joints are fine tuned with hand tools for precise fit, bindings are meticulously tested and re-fit so minimize gaps, etc.
I select wood for each individual project and I am very particular about runout, grain direction, and grain orientation. It is not difficult to figure out that wood that makes a dull thud when tapped goes in the kindling pile. That is the easy part. Building a guitar is not just about selecting materials, and each piece of wood is different. For a responsive resonant guitar you need to figure out the structural limits of each piece. I’m a very analytic person and I flex, tap, weigh, stress test each important part of the instrument.
Furthermore, Sometimes you want to work with a specific piece of wood and sometimes local wood isn’t perfect instrument wood. You need to be able to tweak the specifications of the build based on the specifics of the wood. The best builders are ones who understand the knowns and unknowns and are able to think independently and not just follow a formula.
The best way to evaluate is to see for yourself. My shop is convenient to Vermont and New Hampshire and is open Tuesdays 5-8pm or by appointment. Come and play available instruments and see what else is going on!
Testimonials (anonymous for privacy - references available upon request):
“I am a player who owns multiple Martin and Gibson guitars. When Eric asked me to review his work, I was struck first by the local sourcing of tonewoods, the fine but not overly ornate appointments, and the light but solid feel of the instrument in my hands.
Then I played them. For new guitars, they have a volume and clarity that a “factory” guitar takes years to achieve. They are alive, I think, because he strives for a lighter construction (thickness of top, for example) than a factory shop would dare.
Eric has appropriated all the best practices of modern builders and produced a result that will make you want to sit down every day after work, grab your guitar, and take comfort in the simple act of making music. I endorse his work!”
“Eric designed and built the desk that sits in my acupuncture office. The aesthetic of the desk is hand-in-glove congruent with the intent of my work and the atmosphere of my clinic. This result was born of a collaborative and iterative design process. Eric listened, understood what I was looking for, and then put his own creativity and craftsmanship to work. Over the years, this piece has garnered more admiring comments from people coming through than I could count.”
"Eric's work is both aesthetically beautiful and wonderfully practical. The bed he made for us took full advantage of the natural features of the wood, and the result shows great attention to detail and excellent fit and finish. Six years after delivery it remains solid as a rock and a thrill to behold."
“I’ve played countless acoustic guitars over the years, but none have resonated with me like Eric’s. The local spruce top delivers a full-bodied sound that’s perfect for both studio recording and live performances. These guitars are nuanced and responsive but also deliver headroom for aggressive playing.”
“Eric’s craftsmanship is impeccable, every detail is just right. The action is playful and agreeable, the next feels just right in my hands.
And the sound is remarkable. The instruments speak with real clarity, chords ring with the sound of six voices as much as one. Big rich low end, sparkling, highs. Articulate, present attack with fingers or picks.
These guitars have a serious sense of terroir, too. The lumber comes from the forests around where Eric builds his instruments. It is a unique situation, the ability to have a guitar made by a master craftsman with a true connection to a time and place.”
“Eric made a walnut slab coffee table for a living room setting. The design and approach was collaborative and fun, and the results just amazing and the workmanship superb. The table preserved the live edges, cracks and crevices and the uniqueness of the wood just as hoped for. The table is a few years old now, and looks as good as the day it arrived.”
“Eric is really patient and supportive during the design phase, truly interested in researching, learning new techniques and methods that suit his clients wishes. His work is both classic and imaginative.”