My approach follows the tradition of those who pioneered the classical guitar. Antonio de Torres is to the guitar what Antonio Stradivarius was to the violin. Santos Hernandez is another great Spanish maker whose instruments have inspired my own. I take design elements from these masters and others and incorporate them into my own design. Overall, the instruments I make are lightweight with a focused and clear sound that is extremely balanced.

I begin every instrument with the player in mind. The vision of the guitar they want is something I consider carefully and integrate within my design elements. Sound is one of the most difficult mediums to describe in words. But it is possible to compare to other instruments and take certain attributes which can be shifted slightly in one direction or another.

Another parameter that requires careful consideration is the playability of the instrument. This is determined by the action or string height above the frets. I go to great lengths to minimize the action while avoiding unnecessary buzzing by precisely shaping the curvature of the fingerboard. Of course some players like to play harder than others and will inevitably require higher action. The trick is to maintain the geometry of the instrument and not simply raise or lower the saddle. By understanding what the player wants, I can define the geometry of the instrument before touching a piece of wood.

The building process itself is quite free of forms or molds. I shape most of the pieces with chisels, knives and planes. The sides are bent by hand and the guitar is built on top of a solera, the Spanish name for the guitar workboard. I find this method allows me the greatest freedom in constructing the instrument. I had a client with a small body frame that asked for a guitar that would be more suitable for her size. Not only was the scale length reduced, but I also reduced the size of the body, and narrowed the lower bout. This instrument was designed specifically for her and resulted in greater comfort while playing. The beauty in this construction approach is that it allows for these adjustments.

Curious by nature, I have also experimented outside of the traditional realm. I make the Brahms guitar that David Rubio and Paul Galbraith developed. It is based on the ancient orpharion with the objective of enabling new repertoire that is too difficult to play on a standard guitar. Unlike the traditional guitars with extra bass strings, this guitar has an additional treble string. This enables one to conveniently play chords that are impossible on standard guitars.

I also developed my own soundboard design, called the Prizm guitar. The name 'Prizm' is derived from the triangular structure in the soundboard and braces. Lattices are cut from the soundboard and reoriented with the grain direction towards the bridge. The goal in this design is to equalize and focus the tension in the soundboard on the bridge. The top is made using only solid wood and results in a unique and beautifully focused sound.