Mark Lacey - Biography

My career in building musical instruments began in 1974 when I attended The London College of Furniture & Interior Design. The college offered a three year full time course in Musical Instrument Technology. I spent the first two years building mostly early fretted instruments from the renaissance and baroque periods. These included lutes, guitars, citerns and viols. During my final year at college I concentrated on building modern fretted guitars. In 1977 I moved to Oslo, Norway and spent the next four years working as a repairman for Norway's largest importer of musical instruments: Norsk Musikk Instrument Co. A/S. During this time I attended repair courses at the Ovation, Peavey and Hohner factories.

     In 1981 following a job offer I moved to Nashville to work as a repairman for vintage expert and dealer George Gruhn. George had spent two years wrestling with the immigration and labor department to obtain my green card. I owe much to him for this. It was here that I was first exposed to older archtop and flat-top guitars, having the opportunity to examine them in detail. In 1983 I relocated to Los Angeles, following an offer to run a custom guitar shop for pick-up designer, Bill Lawrence. The following year I decided to strike out on my own. My first venture was repairing and building out of another store in Hollywood called Voltage Guitars. This continued until 1986 when George Gruhn contacted me asking if I would work at the Guild guitar factory located in Westerly, Rhode Island. At Guild I doubled as quality control and design engineer. I was responsible for getting the Ashbury Bass and the new line of solid bodies into production.

     I decided to return to Los Angeles and start my own custom guitar/repair shop. In July 1988 I opened "The Guitar Garage" just off the Sunset Strip in Hollywood and hired two repairmen to help with the work load. Within a short time we were inundated with repair work which allowed me to devote my time exclusively to building instruments. Since then, I have been concentrating on making archtop guitars. In 1995 I returned to Nashville where I work at home. Over the years I have built and repaired instruments for many known musicians which have included: Aerosmith, America, Howard Alden, Jackson Browne, Credence Clearwater Revival, Duran Duran, Herb Ellis, Pink Floyd, John Fogerty, Bruce Forman, Peter Frampton, Frank Gambale, GIT students and instructors, David Alan Grier, The Hard Rock Cafes, Jacksons, Bon Jovi, Leo Kottke, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul McCartney, Jeff Meyer, Hall and Oates, John Porter, Terje Rypdahl, Louie Shelton, Rod Stewart, Sting, Andy Summers, Tiny Tim, U2, Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Building Philosophy

     My main influences have been John D’Angelico, Jimmy D’Aquisto and Gibson. I think my archtops and semi-solid models reflect this. I have tried to stay fairly traditional in my designs. I feel this is what most players want. I’ve had the opportunity to examine in detail many of the older archtops and I incorporate their best features in my own guitars. Having done a great deal of repairs over the years one learns how not to build a guitar. I’ve had to deal with just about every type of repair situation, both acoustic and electric. My main objective besides building guitars that sound good is to build guitars that will last.

     I build my guitars pretty much in the traditional way. The sides are bent by hand and the liners and end blocks glued in place. The top and back are carved. F-holes cut and bound. Braces fitted and glued. The top and back are then glued to the sides and the bindings installed. The two piece neck blanks are glued together and left to sit for several months to stabilize. The truss-rod is installed and the fingerboard glued in place. The headstock is then profiled and bound. Next all the inlay work is done. The neck is then fitted and glued to the body. The guitar gets a final sanding, then the lacquer finish is applied. While the finish is curing, I make the fittings. All that’s left is final sanding and buffing of the finish and of course stringing and set-up. I usually build four to six instruments at the same time. It’s more efficient to do things this way. Over the years I have acquired more machinery to speed up the process. A pin router for profiling the headstocks, pickguards and tailpieces. The pin router is useful for repetitive tasks and accuracy. I built my own pantograph router for rough carving the tops and backs. There is still a great deal of hand work involved in the final carving of the top and back. The varying thickness of the top and back dictates the sound of the guitar. This critical phase cannot be done by machine. The rabbets for the bindings are cut using a router, still the bindings must be glued and trimmed by hand. Each instrument is set-up according to the customers specifications.

     When first dealing with a potential customer, the first step is sending out my literature. This includes a color brochure, price list and a bio. When a customer decides to place an order, I ask questions concerning their preferences for sound and neck dimensions. Colors and inlays are also covered. It is important to get as many details from the customer as possible. This way there are no misunderstandings later on. I want my customers to be totally satisfied and proud of their instruments.

     What keeps me motivated? Building guitars certainly isn't the easiest profession. I often find myself working 70 hours a week, not to mention all the dust. I spent many years repairing instead of building just to pay the bills. I think most luthiers tell the same story. I guess like most other full time builders, I am hooked on building guitars. I get a great sense of achievement in creating a musical instrument from scratch. The most rewarding aspect is hearing my guitars played by talented players.