1970 - 1971 AMPEG/Dan Armstrong
Linden, New Jersey
A summer job, manufacturing the now famous "See Through" plexiglas guitar as used by Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. Here I worked side by side with my first mentor and wood shop class teacher, Billy T. Young.
1971 Sam Koontz Guitars
Linden, New Jersey
An after school job, working with the then-radical arch top guitar builder, Sam Koontz.
1971 - 1973 Guild Guitars, Inc.
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Here I do guitar repair and help with the importation of Madiera Guitars, plus working on guitars for such artists as John Denver, Ron Carter, David Bromberg and Richie Havens.
1973 - 1975 Omni Guitar Corporation
Union, New Jersey
Here we manufacture acoustic guitars, mandolins and dulcimers, using one-half of the original machinery purchased from the Harmony Guitar Company. Here I also find evidence of involvement with fixtures and jigs made by the famous New York City luthier, John D'Angelico.
1975 - 1979 Guitar Trader
Red Bank, New Jersey
With the original owner, David DeForrest, I am involved with the purveying and repair of some of the finest vintage instruments in the world. There was not a fine Gibson, Fender, Martin or National guitar, that I did not see or work on. Here I become friends with now Florida guitar collector, Tim Kummer, and also, finish guru, Michael Dresdner. I also have the pleasure of working on what was then the largest collection of 1958-1961 Gibson Les Paul Standards in the world.
1979 - 1983 Kramer Guitars
Neptune, New Jersey
Here I worked on the first of two attempts at manufacturing a guitar with an aluminum neck. Technically, I was the service manager, but I spent some time out on the road doing a series of trips called “The Kramer Bench Check”, where I educate guitarists on the new Floyd Rose tremolo system. At the factory I also have the opportunity to work on and with a number of top name artists, including, Peter Frampton, Johnny Cash, Nancy Wilson, etc. and certainly a heavy involvement working with Eddie Van Halen on the now-famous red, white and black striped Frankenstrat guitars. I made 10-13 of these guitars for Ed.
1982 - 1983 American Showster Guitars
Toms River, New Jersey
Working two jobs making guitars! At Kramer and with Rich Excellante, whom I worked with at Guild Guitars, we manufactured the first hand made guitars fashioned to look like the tail fin of a 1957 Chevy. What was interesting during the construction of these guitars, was that we developed an idea and design for a now-patented way to “metal load” guitars for sonic enhancement.
1984 Garden State Music
Toms River, New Jersey
Here I take a position as the manager of one of the top retail music stores in New Jersey. Here I hone my skills at retail sales, purchasing and also developing a line of solid body guitars known as “Custom Dreams Guitars”. Here I used former Kramer Guitar artist Dennis Kline to paint all of the custom graphics. I have all the records to show that we manufactured three hundred guitars in a two year period, some for top name artists such as Jon Bon Jovi and Dave “Snake” Sabo of Skid Row.
1985 Roger Sadowsky Guitars
New York City, New York
Here in the middle of Time Square, I helped Roger Sadowsky manufacture his line of highest quality guitars and basses. Some of Roger 's clients were artists such as Will Lee, Marcus Miller, Sting, Lou Reid and many more. Roger is one of the finest luthiers in the country, and here I finally feel becoming a member of the “Royal Family” of American luthiers. His eye for detail and quality was second to none, and I found it very painful for me to leave his employ to pursue other projects in my career.
1985 - 1987 BC Rich Guitars
Warren, New Jersey
At this location I become the general manager of production and manufacturing under the direction of Mr. Randall Waltuch (what a passion this guy had for BC Rich and high quality guitars). We manufactured about 50 handmade guitars a month, using the highest quality materials and also imported about one thousand guitars a month from the Orient. Here I also become friends with artist Tom Henry of Tom Cat Studios who did all of our art direction and graphic painting on all of our guitars. We also had quite a roster of artists, including Lita Ford, Dimebag Darrell, D. D. Verni of Overkill and Gene Simmons of Kiss.
1987 Vaccaro Guitar Corporation
Asbury Park, New Jersey
A short-lived second attempt at yet another aluminum neck guitar. Cool body shapes and also the manufacture of aluminum neck bass guitars for Larry Hartke.
1988 - Present The Guitar Guy
Finally my own shop, doing up to two thousand guitar repairs and sales of up to 250 used and vintage guitars a year. I have to be the most prolific guitar shop between New York and Philadelphia. Here I also find a passion for, of all things, building professional tenor and soprano hand made ukuleles.
2007 - UNK Guitars, LLC
Toms River, New Jersey
Teaming up with New York City's Jeff Hunter and San Diego's Greg Dorsett, I finally have the opportunity to design and build a guitar which I think will be the next great American guitar. Using a combination of computer aided design machinery, and hand craftsmanship, we will be using the highest quality materials plus my thirty-seven years of guitar building experience to offer the perfect missing link to anyone's guitar collection, using perfect form and function at an affordable price. |
