Clayton Pledger, Luthier

I’ve been fortunate to be doing something I enjoy for over 20 years now. It started when I met world-renowned classical guitar builder, Jeff Elliott, at a pub in Portland, Oregon. He inspired me to start building, and I never would have done it without his encouragement. I was also encouraged by some friends who gave me William Cumpiano’s book for my birthday. My first guitar took me a year, building in the damp and dark basement of the old Portland house I was living in at the time. I was working on old houses during the day and raising a child, so all the guitar work happened late at night. I wasn’t sleeping much then. Jeff, and his partner, Cyndy Burton, were there 100% of the time when I needed them. I am forever grateful for their commitment to helping aspiring luthiers get started in their craft.

I then traveled to Tugaske, Saskatchewan, where I took a class with David Freeman of Timeless Instrument. I learned a lot while building my second guitar, and had some fun along the way. There were seven of us from all over the world - all crammed in a small house where we slept, ate, and breathed guitar building for an intensive amount of time. The village population was around 100, so there weren’t too many distractions. If I didn’t have a life to get back to, I think I would have stayed there much longer as it was a sweet community of artists that I enjoyed being around.

When I came back to Portland, I continued to build. Jeff and Cyndy were always there to talk guitar philosophy with. I learned a ton about finish work with Cyndy, who is a master at the technique of French Polish. This is how I finished my instruments for years. It’s a slow and laborious method that taught me patience and trained my eyes to become a competent finisher, which I feel are very important skills to have. One can build the perfect guitar, but if the finish work is poor, then all the other successes are for naught.

I soon met John Greven, who is another brilliant builder that lived in my neighborhood full of talented builders. He took interest in my work, and is another mentor that was there with me all the way. He is always extremely busy, but never hesitated to take the time to talk guitar building with me. He has been doing it for 50+ years, and has built over 2000 guitars, so he has some opinions, and I love hearing them. He is a one-man-show, and is never particularly looking for help in the shop, but I could help him with projects on his house - which made me feel better about the time he spent with me. He was my go-to guy when it came to new guitar critiques. He has an incredible ear, and he’d tell me everything he thought about my guitars: what he liked about them, and where I could improve. Those critique sessions shaped me and his honesty made me a better builder. My conversations with him about building, as well as all the social events at his house, will always be cherished.

Another builder I have to thank is Mike Doolin. I think most folks would agree that Mike is a genius. He’s a man of many talents, and when facing weird commissions that leave me scratching my head, he’s always been available with a good solution. There is nothing I can stump him on. He’s thought of it all.

Eventually I made my way into the shop of Kerry Char. Kerry is a masterful repair guy in Portland, and he builds incredible instruments of all kinds. He’s become known for taking on all the restoration jobs that nobody else wants to do. Folks will bring him 100 year old instruments that are literally falling apart, and he’ll put them back together, effortlessly. Some of the most interesting instruments you’ll ever see come through his shop. Working along side him, I was able to hone my repair skills, and pick up an incredible amount of information that helped improve my building. Not only that, I got to hang out with Kerry all day and talk guitars and life with one of the nicest guys you’ve ever met. His calming demeanor and wisdom of just about everything was an absolute pleasure to be around. Our conversations about guitar building would go on all day and never get old. This is why I love building so much: one can spend a lifetime doing it and learn something new every day.

All of these folks shaped me into the builder I am today. It’s rare that I find an instrument maker with a large ego. I believe we all walk around knowing we still have a lot to learn. That’s the beauty of the luthier community, we’re all here for each other.

My shop, now located in the hills of beautiful Central Vermont, is open for new commissions, repairs, and restorations. I’m in the process of building up my inventory and will eventually have a supply of new guitars hanging on the wall for folks to play. Shop visits are by appointment only, so please visit my contact page to set up a time. I’m also working a couple days a week with the good folks at Iris Guitars, Circle Strings, Fairbanks Guitars, Ben and Bucky’s Guitar Boutique, and Allied Lutherie in Burlington VT. There I’m helping with building and repair. It’s an incredible shop full of wonderful people. Leaving my luthier community in the Pacific Northwest was hard, so quickly getting involved with the Vermont community has been great. One thing I have enjoyed more than building over the years are the friendships built with fellow luthiers and clients. I’m always looking forward to creating more of those in the future.

Clayton Pledger