Evo Lutherie

Don “Powder” Lowder, a good friend of my brother Dave, started building a dreadnought guitar kit, a gift from his wife. He made good progress, completing a beautifully built body, with rosette, bindings & purflings, and routing the pockets for fancy shell fret markers. At that point he paused, and it languished for several years. Before he got back to it, he became ill, and passed away. Dave mentioned that Don’s son played guitar, and I offered to finish it for him.

Don was known for his beautiful ski tracks in fresh powder at Squaw Valley, where he worked with Dave. I designed a peghead inlay to honor that, and completed the guitar. I inlaid the fret markers, installed the frets, fitted the neck to the body, sanded and prepped the wood, finished it with French Polished shellac, installed the tuners, and set it up. Don’s work was flawless, the guitar looks and sounds great, and it is a lovely heirloom for his family. It was a fun, rewarding project and good experience.