apalazzolo
02-10-2011, 08:41 AM
A few months ago I stumbled across this thread here at TGP:
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=822508&highlight=otto
I was impressed and surprised to see that this guy, Otto, was doing such impressive things only 30 miles from my home of ten years. I thought I knew of all the cool guitar stuff in the area. So I went up for a visit last month.
I'd characterize Otto's shop as traditional, large and organized. It's a lot of floor space in a large old mill with lots of older/heavy duty machines spread out in work stations. I didn't see any CNC machines or computers around. In fact, I met Otto when he was using an axe-like tool to split "kindling sticks" off of what looked a little like a log. Jeff Traugett recently told me that this has been the traditional technique for making bracing wood for hundreds of years because the split follows the grain and ensures perfectly quartered braces.
Otto shares his shop with two other craftsmen who build five figure instruments. One builds violins and is an authority on 17th-19th century violins. The other builds the coolest upright basses. All three seemed to have their own dust-covered wood supplies and I was fascinated by the detailed education/explanation they gave me. This is the kind of place where piles of curled-up flame maple shavings accumulate next to simmering pots of hide glue and the pace is slow enough to permit unfailing attention to detail.
Bottom line is that Otto and his shop are at least as impressive as you'd think from his website. He's another one of the many HIGHLY skilled builders who frequent (and all too often fly under the radar at) TGP. Also, like many of them, he seems more interested in the love of his craft than he is in self-promotion.
So I've started this thread to thank Otto for his time and to let you guys know that he's out there quietly creating six-string heirlooms for us. Check him out at: http://www.dambrosioguitars.com
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=822508&highlight=otto
I was impressed and surprised to see that this guy, Otto, was doing such impressive things only 30 miles from my home of ten years. I thought I knew of all the cool guitar stuff in the area. So I went up for a visit last month.
I'd characterize Otto's shop as traditional, large and organized. It's a lot of floor space in a large old mill with lots of older/heavy duty machines spread out in work stations. I didn't see any CNC machines or computers around. In fact, I met Otto when he was using an axe-like tool to split "kindling sticks" off of what looked a little like a log. Jeff Traugett recently told me that this has been the traditional technique for making bracing wood for hundreds of years because the split follows the grain and ensures perfectly quartered braces.
Otto shares his shop with two other craftsmen who build five figure instruments. One builds violins and is an authority on 17th-19th century violins. The other builds the coolest upright basses. All three seemed to have their own dust-covered wood supplies and I was fascinated by the detailed education/explanation they gave me. This is the kind of place where piles of curled-up flame maple shavings accumulate next to simmering pots of hide glue and the pace is slow enough to permit unfailing attention to detail.
Bottom line is that Otto and his shop are at least as impressive as you'd think from his website. He's another one of the many HIGHLY skilled builders who frequent (and all too often fly under the radar at) TGP. Also, like many of them, he seems more interested in the love of his craft than he is in self-promotion.
So I've started this thread to thank Otto for his time and to let you guys know that he's out there quietly creating six-string heirlooms for us. Check him out at: http://www.dambrosioguitars.com