About Jason
Luthiery combines two of my lifelong passions: guitars and woodworking. I received my first workbench and toolset as a child, and would spend hours sawing, chiseling, and carving. The end product was never as important as the process. I was captivated by the visceral sensations of working with wood. Later in my teens, a friend played me John Williams’ landmark “Spanish Guitar Music” and another passion was kindled. It was difficult to grasp that so much music was coming from a single instrument. The experience sent me on a lifelong journey as I discovered other artists such as Segovia, Bream, Barrueco, Fisk, Isbin, and the Romeros among countless others.
Like many of my generation, I eventually put aside the stratocaster, and picked up a cheap nylon string guitar to embark on years of classical guitar study. Always intrigued by the idea of making a guitar, I completed a luthier certification at the local trade school, and became obsessed with the craft. Since then, I have experimented with different bracing patterns from the Spanish masters to contemporary designs, finally adopting the system developed by the engineer and luthier Trevor Gore. This unique, labor intensive approach includes laminated falcate bracing, a lightweight bridge design, and rigid sides. I believe this design yields an instrument that delivers a more traditional tonal character without sacrificing volume, a broad color palette, and quick response that contemporary players desire.
Jason lives in the Phoenix area with his wife and daughter, and two very naughty pets - Bob the budgie and Pepper the cockatiel. When not making smaller pieces of wood from larger ones, he can be found experimenting with electronics, building lo-fi synthesizers and fx pedals.
