Welcome to the online home of Freeborn Guitars. This is where you’ll find descriptions and sound samples of my guitars, a bit about me, how I approach the art of Lutherie and the occasional rambling on related topics. Thanks for visiting, and as always, shoot me questions or comments with the contact link.
Thanks!
So, where did all this guitar madness begin?.
When I was a teenager, just like many of us in the ’70’s, I REALLY wanted to be in a band. You know, fans, famous, rich, fans, all of that… did I mention fans?
Well that didn’t work out so well, but I turned out to be pretty good at building them. At first it was electric guitars, but about 20 years ago I started in on my own re-interpretation of the steel string acoustic guitar. At the same time I re-kindled my pursuit and interest in playing early blues music. I’m quite the fan of the ragtime era players – also known as “pre-war” blues. On the top of the talent mountain from that era is Blind Blake. The guy was a monster. That right hand bass line syncopation! Outstanding.
The combination of my ’70’s renegade sensibilities and aesthetic, combined with complete respect for the traditional construction methods from the era have merged into the instruments you see here. It’s been a fun ride. Hop on if you care to join me, but buckle up, there may be some turbulence!
The Models
Select any or all of the models to your right to get their details.
My flagship model. Drawing on influences from my youth in the ’70s the body shape is loosely based on the Fender Jazzmaster. While way “off the rails” from traditional acoustic guitar design, under the hood it’s very traditional construction. In it’s standard size it’s a big guitar with a 16″ lower bout – same as a dreadnaught. But because of the asymmetrical body shape it doesn’t feel like one. It’s very comfortable to play – especially if you’re like me and don’t have the shoulders of our youth..
I also build it in a “Parlor” size which sports a 15″ lower bout. It’s a simply wonderful little “couch guitar” that also amplifies very well with my dual-source pickup system.
In the ’70’s and 80’s Martin began selling their 0000 model. It had trouble finding a niche between the OM and D models, so they dropped it like a bad habit. It didn’t help that the guitars coming out of Nazareth in those days weren’t exactly stellar. In spite of it’s troubles in the market place it was an excellent design, well suited to both flat and finger picking.
I’ve revived it in three different scale lengths (so far) and 2 body sizes. The standard version I usually build as a “finger style” scale length of 25.7″. This is a powerful sounding all-round guitar. Works brilliantly as a fingestyle and roars when you put the spurs to it with a flat pick. I’ll do this one with a cutaway occasionally too. This uses the standard 16″ lower bout size that Martin build. I can adjust it’s range and “punch” with the body depth as well.
A variation on the standard model is the “Alto” version which can also be strung as a Baritone. It sports a 26.25″ scale length and is well suited for lower tunings (D-D or C-C). When strung Baritone it can go as low as B-B. I love it with flat wound strings as a Bari. Really unique sound and range. The following is a sound clip played by the late and unrivaled player Woody Mann. He was a dear friend and not a day goes by that I don’t miss him.
I also build a “Parlor” version with a 15″ lower bout and 24.9″ 13 frets clear scale. The Parlor in Spruce over Maple makes an outstanding recording guitar. This one is a real sleeper. Looks small, sounds big and really clear. Have a look at the videos below for some samples. You might also recognize the player. He was a friend and valuable source of information as I was developing the model.
This is my take on the venerable pre-war Gibson L-OO whose sound was a veritable building block of the early blues sounds of the 20’s and 30’s. Quickly built, cheap to buy and in many ways raw and unrefined, it’s sound gave many a bluesman and woman the growl and bite the genre required.
Many modern luthiers include this model in their line – in shape at least – but where they miss the mark is in how the crude construction, with rough sawn bracing and minimal appointments actually added to the character of the instrument. Don’t let the modern appointments I use fool you, under the hood this little blues beast is all business. I’ve collected a set of blades and tools exactly as builders in Kalamazoo would have used back in the day, and sound shows it.
I generally build them with a big fat neck, as most were originally built, but I can slim it down for a more modern feel without sacrificing it’s distinctive tone. If you prefer a traditional looking guitar I can also build them with a round sound hole, block bridge and traditional slab or slotted headstock. It’s a really fun little guitar – throw a sound hole pickup in it and you’re ready to hit the stage and howl at the moon.
This is a sticky wicket… for some…But not for me. I approach guitars in a rather pragmatic way. I grew up playing, fixing, breaking and making guitars. When I was a teenager I was a stock boy in a music store in Wilmington Delaware. I’d gather up discards from the repair department and cobble together solid body electric guitars. It was a need based activity – I didn’t have money to buy them done so I’d make do with what I could scrounge.
As my life and career progressed I went down the path of a “maker” From basic carpentry to cabinetry to boats to fine furniture, but always guitars. There were some long gaps in between, but I always had a soft spot for guitars. What all of my other pursuits brought to the table was a wide range of skills in an equally wide range of materials. I didn’t fall for any number of the trends “du jour” in any of those fields. Et oui, je parle un petit peu Francaise. Mon pere nee Bretange.
For a while on the west coast in the 80’s there was a whole herd of lemming woodworkers trudging down the Japanese woodworker / tool path. Well, okay, those tools are cool. A bit of a pisser to sharpen, but yeah, they work well… so I did that, but I sure as shootin’ didn’t get rid of all my Stanley planes. I use them all to this day. It’s a big tent and I range around in every corner of it.
Power tools? You betcha. Point A to Point B. Whatever gets me there the best and fastest way. I do not have CNC or laser. Sometimes I’ll hire it out, but I don’t want to be slave to the machine. They have their place, but for me and my methods, I’ll stick to old school router templates and hand tools.
Like my guitars, my ordering methods may seem a little unorthodox. I seldom take custom orders, at least not in the traditional sense. I build guitars in runs of 4. That number seems to be a sweet spot for me both in shop space / efficiency and attention span. I’m completely transparent about what I’ve got on the bench at any moment and any of them are available for “pre-sale” if you’ve got a particular itch for it. During the process there are some variables that can be specified, such as neck width, finish options, trim options, etc, but once those are done to your specs you’ll have to commit to the instrument. What I’m trying to avoid are “from the ground up” builds to the customers specifications as that can lead to disappointments. See my “Tonewood, Tap Tone…” section for more on my philosophies.
I try to do a couple guitar shows per year, but that can vary too. The guitar show business has changed quite a bit in the last several years, with some of the old guard dropping off and some new ones taking their place. Personally I don’t think it’s a great way to try out an instrument as they are loud (the show spaces) and usually crowded. If you’re interested in one of mine, the best way to try one is to get in touch and I’ll let you know where there is one in stock. I try to have a selection in one of the guitar shops that specializes in luthier built instruments. I also am putting together a “shop” on reverb.com. I’ll link to that directly from the model pages when there’s one available.
If you really want to be a part of the process, I don’t entirely rule out building one to your specs, but there are some qualifiers to that too. Like I said, get in touch and we’ll work it out.
A lot, and I mean a LOT of noise goes into “tap tone”, 4A, “shimmering highs from the Brazilian Rosewood” blah blah blah… I’ve cut, built, chainsawed glued, screwed and tatooed literally tons of wood in my lifetime. I’m not exaggerating… tons. What have I learned from it all? A good stick is a good stick. Period. Nothing to do with color, look and even sometimes grain orientation. I pick the right piece for the right job. Sorry if that isn’t zen enough for some people, but as I see it a guitar is a tool to make music. If it works, it works. Another period…
As for all of the hoo hah about “the tree” and what the effect back and sides has on the tone of the guitar – In my opinion the top is 90% of the sound. How the builder selects, braces, voices and treats the top is, well, 90% of the battle. Screw that up and it’ll never be a great guitar.The remainder is pairing the rest of the components to truly let the top sing. There are “go to” combinations that I, and many other builders use, because they just work. But the real magic is in assessing all of the components, along with a clear vision of what I want to accomplish and going forth with confidence, experience and sometimes a little bit of whimsy. Damm those torpedos!
Another Hoo Boy… My opinion? Meh, non issue. I happen to be an old school joinery guy, so I love cutting dovetails. The elegance and simplicity simply appeal. On the other hand, nothing beats the efficiency of a well designed bolt on neck when it comes to doing a reset or adjustment to the set.
Here is some video (& a little audio) of my guitars in action. None of these are done with professional recording equipment, so there’s no embellishment of the sound. If anything these guitars sound better in person then they do here.
This is a sound file from the late and unrivaled player Woody Mann. It is of my “Alto” model Quatre.
Here’s one from the wayback machine. Mary Flower demonstrating one of my Po’ Boy models at the Miami Guitar Festival
Contact
Interested in a Guitar? Cool, let’s get this party started. If you’ve read all of the purchasing information above and are interested in getting one use this contact form and I’ll be in touch. Feel free to reach out if you just want to talk guitars too.
Thanks!
