Guitars
Gene Joly is a well respected leader within the industry who has mentored many young employees who have developed within their own careers as well as helping grow the industry! After performing on the road for several years, Gene was offered a job in the music store he often hung out at, EU...
Bill Robinson began working in the music industry when he was in his 20s. His high school friend opened a music store after graduation and hired Bill to work for the store where he later became a partner. When the store closed some years later, Bill became an independent rep for several music...
Tim Luranc grew up in San Diego with his father, an educator, playing music in the house all of the time. His dad wanted to play a guitar with some of the popular music of the day, such as folk music. His dad didn't play the guitar as much as he had hoped but young Tim took a liking to the...
Andy Powers began working with wood as a kid and soon realized he had a strong interest in building. With the guidance of his father and the use of his tools, Andy built a guitar and loved it! He studied the art of guitar building and soon designed his own style of guitar. With each completed...
Sam Radding is the founder the famed American Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company, which was the training ground for several future iconic luthiers including Bob Taylor, Kurt Listug and Greg Deering! Sam’s brother opened a small retail store in San Diego in the mid 1960s and soon Sam had the...
David Hosler had a friend in school whose father had a wood-working shop. It was in that small shop where David built his first guitar and where his passion for making instruments began. He opened a shop in Florida and later established The Guitar Workshop in South Carolina where he sold guitars...
Bob Rissi was the founder of Risson Amplifier Company, which produces Made-in-America products based on Bob’s own designs. He began designing amplifiers in 1960 when he was hired by Leo Fender himself. He later worked at Rickenbacker before forming his own company in 1971. In addition to his...
Bob Hackett worked for Ampeg on the company’s amplifiers. As a professional bass player, Bob was able to provide vital feedback in the design and sound of the bass amps for Ampeg. During his time at the company he worked with several other key engineers and employees including Roger Cox. Bob...
Stanley Werbin opened a small guitar shop he named Elderly Instruments on July 5, 1972. The original location was in East Lansing, Michigan and focused on "used instruments". Within a few years Stan watched the growth and development of the vintage guitar market and provided a repair shop and...
Maudie Moore was hired by Gibson Guitars in 1962 to do small piece work and soon branched out to engraving, which became a specialty for her over the next several decades. In fact, she opened her own shop called Moore’s Engraving in Kalamazoo in 1972, which allowed her to work with several other...