T H E I N T E R V I E W:
by Terrence Tan
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us,
Kenny. I was wondering how you got started in
lutherie?
In around 1971 a friend of mine had a small guitar shop in Portland Oregon, and one day the guitar repairman went to lunch and didn’t come back. He went to study meditation or something. I wasn’t working at the time and my friend just
said “Oh you can do it”, and gave me the job. So I just began doing repairs, doing my best to figure out ways of accomplishing results. There were very few books or suppliers at the time, so I just had to use my own imagination.
I started learning to play classical guitar at about the same time, learning Bach on an old Manuel de la Chica flamenco guitar.
A few months later I moved to Santa Barbara and started my own little guitar shop, doing repairs and some buying and selling. One day someone offered me a small collection of guitar making tools, books and materials for a good price, and I bought them. This triggered me to make my first classical guitar, it was a logical next step. And that first guitar sounded pretty good. I was continuing to practice guitar playing every day, and the two things, building and playing, became fully entwined in my mind, so I simply continued building and playing in about equal parts as a lifestyle. I was single, in my 20s, living on the coast in California, it was a very good time.
Kenny. I was wondering how you got started in
lutherie?
In around 1971 a friend of mine had a small guitar shop in Portland Oregon, and one day the guitar repairman went to lunch and didn’t come back. He went to study meditation or something. I wasn’t working at the time and my friend just
said “Oh you can do it”, and gave me the job. So I just began doing repairs, doing my best to figure out ways of accomplishing results. There were very few books or suppliers at the time, so I just had to use my own imagination.
I started learning to play classical guitar at about the same time, learning Bach on an old Manuel de la Chica flamenco guitar.
A few months later I moved to Santa Barbara and started my own little guitar shop, doing repairs and some buying and selling. One day someone offered me a small collection of guitar making tools, books and materials for a good price, and I bought them. This triggered me to make my first classical guitar, it was a logical next step. And that first guitar sounded pretty good. I was continuing to practice guitar playing every day, and the two things, building and playing, became fully entwined in my mind, so I simply continued building and playing in about equal parts as a lifestyle. I was single, in my 20s, living on the coast in California, it was a very good time.
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