Paul Driskell, Master’s Program through Graduate Level Two
When I was a kid, the output jack on my Epiphone felt “loose,” so I tried to tighten it. What I did was the exact opposite of what you’re supposed to do, and I ended up messing up the wire. So, I took it to Chuck Levins in Wheaton, Maryland, and the guitar techs hooked me up.
They explained to me it was a quick fix for them, but to be careful about that in the future, and they didn’t even charge me. That was a huge moment in my life. I thought messing with guitars was awesome, and I wanted to be like those guys.
I grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. I had a friend from Michigan, and his father was a Luthier. He told me about Galloup School of Guitar Building & Repair, and I thought it was awesome.
Immediately after graduating from Galloup, I applied to work at the Gibson acoustic factory in Bozeman. I love electric guitars, but acoustic building is what I’m determined to focus on. The staff at Galloup said I should check out Bozeman because I’d gain a ton of experience working on acoustics.
I’ve spent a lot of my time sanding, but now I’m doing repairs. I strip guitars, take bridges off, and other little things like that. Sometimes, I get to work on the Murphy lab relic guitars by stripping them, sanding them, or cleaning them up. (Which is what I’m holding in the picture in front of the wall of the old Kalamazoo factory!)
One of the coolest things I’ve gotten to do at Gibson was work on some of the Jimmy Page models, many of which he played and autographed!
I often learned things the hard way. I didn’t have any woodworking or building experience, and I got frustrated early on. But hearing guys like Bryan Galloup, Tyler Robbins, Dan Erlewine, Andy Kirby, and Aaron Mercier share that they also made mistakes when they were starting out, and just never gave up, is what made me feel like I could do this too.
Some things I did well, and others I had to slow down and take my time to get right. But lutherie, and guitars in general, is what I’m passionate about, and it’s something I’ll continue to appreciate for the rest of my life.