I don’t know about you, but in order to be fully connected with my work and fully invested emotionally in it, I have to be clear on what I’m actually doing. What is the point of it all, why is it important? When I sort through all the different layers and levels to...

If you play guitar  professionally or just for fun, or if you’re a luthier and have built 1 or 100 guitars, you probably will agree — there is always more to learn. That’s one reason we all love building and playing  guitars so much right? It’s an endless...

What Is French Polishing? The term French Polishing refers to the art of using what is know as a pad, rubber, or muneca constructed usually of cotton cloth wrapped around some type of core material to apply a finish to a wood surface by rubbing.  So the...

The concept of the multi-scale musical instrument (one in which each string has its own scale length) is not new by any means. It is commonly employed in many instruments such as the piano, harp, and others. This multi-scale arrangement applied to a fretted instrument...

Introducing a new guitar building website with video courses online now! Watch the sample video below! One of the greatest parts of my job is the wonderful people I get to meet and talk to everyday. My customers, students, and friends. I feel truly blessed to receive...

Watch a time-lapse guitar making video showing my process for hand carving an exceptional piece of highly flamed maple into a back fr a 17" archtop guitar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVybh8TOET4 In the video, I show about 10hrs of work in around 30 seconds. It...

Luthiers John Montelone and Tom Bills It’s time for the annual Sarzana Acoustic Guitar Festival in beautiful Sarzana Italy again. Unfortunately this year I won’t be able to attend, but I thought I would share some of my pictures from last year (2011) when I was able...

Guitar French Polishing with shellac is an ancient craft that has been handed down for many generations. I am very passionate about French polishing; as it pertains to my work, and in the passing on of this important aspect of our craft of lutherie. This French...