![]() That's true of the stringed instruments produced by a growing number of Vermonters who are redefining what it is to be a luthier. There are, of course, valid reasons to get excited about his iconic guitars, which are as pleasing to look at as they are to play or listen to. "Guitars are one of the things in our culture, like fancy cars or motion pictures, that people just get stupidly excited about for no valid reason," Millard said. Froggy Bottom makes a point of not advertising who plays its guitars, a rarity in an increasingly crowded market. Not that you'll hear Millard boasting of that fact or the elite players who swear by his instruments. Michael Millard is the semiretired founder of Froggy Bottom Guitars, a Chelsea company that has been at the vanguard of custom handmade acoustic guitars in Vermont since the 1970s. ![]() Whether you're on the hunt for a hot-rodded electric guitar, an elegant viola or a dulcet dulcimer, chances are that someone in Vermont builds it, and builds it quite well. "And the cool thing is that everybody's doing different things." "But there's a lot going on right now," he continued. Instrument building in Vermont dates back to at least the early 1900s, Crosby said. He has been building and repairing guitars and almost anything else with strings for 45 years, 32 in the Green Mountain State. Nowa Crosby is the owner of Randolin Music Instruments, a Shelburne music shop that moved from its longtime Burlington location last year. Precise numbers are hard to pin down, but at least anecdotally, the luthier field in Vermont has exploded. Interest in building (and playing) custom-made instruments has grown both locally and nationally, especially in the past 20 years or so.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |