A Lonely Shop

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The workshop reflects the character of the [guitar] maker...

Roy Courtnall, Making Master Guitars, 1993




My wife and I are in the midst of selling our house, that means items we once used everyday are tucked away in laundry baskets so a towel can be thrown over it to hide the contents when there is a showing, other items are boxed and sitting in what was to be my new workshop.

Our house has been on the market since this Monday, there has been a showing every day and late this afternoon there are two showings. I will load the dogs into the FJ Cruiser and drive down to Lyons and meet my wife for dinner at a local pizza joint.

My studio is bare bones these days - no tools hanging on pegs, the stacks of tone wood are packed away, honestly, it's a little weird to sweep the studio floor ever half hour or so of work. I'm not doing much work, a few guitar repair jobs and I did replace a top on a guitar that I built about twelve years.

I tell myself that I can only do small projects, nothing big, but today, I pulled out a very nice East Indian rosewood back and side set to pair with a nice Engelmann spruce top. The plan is to make a guitar while we wait for the closing on this place and the new house we will buy. The closings will take up some time, I need to keep busy while we wait.

So, maybe there is a chance I can assemble another guitar before we pack up and move down hill.

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