I grew up in Salem, Virginia surrounded by musical instruments. Almost every room in our house had an instrument of some sort, including a piano, guitar, harp, kalimba, violin, flute, and many more. While learning to play whatever I could get my hands on, I was always mesmerized by the seemingly magical work I saw done by master craftsmen when I visited various instrument stores or the Country Store in Floyd, Virginia. 

Though I was introduced to woodworking at a young age, I was first introduced to the world of luthierie when I began apprenticing with Jack Ferguson building Appalachian Dulcimers in 2019. Jack's attention to detail and passion for his craft gave me the perfect foundation for working on instruments of all kinds. At the time, I had fallen in love with mandolins, and Jack provided generous support as I explored building them from scratch.

When the pandemic hit in early 2020 and everyone was working from home, I began to set up my own personal shop and build various mandolins, ukuleles, kalimbas, and more at home. I also began repairing various instruments belonging to myself and friends. Bringing an instrument to life either from scratch or from a previously unplayable instrument was an inspiring experience for me, and it quickly became something I hoped I would do for the rest of my life.

With the rise of AI in almost every field, my day job of Software Development and Design quickly has become a world of defending the need for the human element in design and creation. The faster something can be made or replaced, the more important something seems to be. I have quickly gotten tired of spending years developing systems for clients, only to have those systems replaced in a few years. Everything is transient and nothing is valued. If AI can do something faster, people are very willing to replace a skilled person just to meet a deadline.

I have been grateful to recently get connected with Ward Elliott, a gentleman located near Christiansburg who does some of the best repair work I have ever seen. In the midst of his own work and time dedicated to his full-time students, he has taken some time to graciously encourage and support me my own repair work. Working with him has reminded me of the passion and devotion that inspired me to begin with when I worked with Jack.

It is with all of this in mind that I am working to transition to musical instrument repair and building full time. Using my skills, experience, and support system to give beloved instruments the care and attention they often need is something that I care about deeply. If you have an old or new instrument that means something to you and could use some work, you can trust me to give it the care and attention it needs.