Gary has been meticulously handcrafting Breedlove guitars for over two decades, making him one of the most experienced craftsmen in the workshop. He’s worked in every department in the shop, but he chose string-up because he enjoys bringing Breedlove instruments to completion: putting it all together, and hearing the guitar’s voice for the first time. In particular, Gary takes pride in his fretwork; all the filing, beveling, sanding and crowning is similar to sculpting, and Gary likens it to working with fine jewelry. With so many years under his belt, you’d think it might get a little boring, but Gary is a naturally curious person, so he looks forward to learning something new and to find better ways to do each task, each and every day.
As a kid growing up in Dayton, Ohio, Gary’s first instrument was the trumpet. He picked up the guitar at the age of 19 while earning his degree in social work from Wright State University. After college, he worked in a psychiatric hospital, then in high-end-home construction. Eventually, his love for guitar led him to study luthiery at John Jordan’s School of Instrument Building. Currently, in his spare time, he plays in a local Bend band, he’s building a Telecaster, and he likes to listen to music with a guitar in his hands — he owns about ten guitars (though his favorite acoustic is the first guitar he ever built in the Breedlove workshop). An avid hiker, kayaker and Nordic backcountry skier, one of the things Gary loves about Bend is that his favorite summer hiking spots become great winter skiing spots.
Favorite hike in Bend: Green Lakes Trail
Favorite musician in Bend: Scott Fox
Preferred mode of transportation: Walking
Obesession in life: Music
First album you bought as a kid: The Beatles, Meet the Beatles
Best live show you’ve ever seen: Grateful Dead, 1977, Red Rocks
Favorite craft beer: Mirror Pond
Favorite band of all time: Allman Brothers
Personal hero: My daughter, Hanna
Is Elvis really dead? No, just resting
Musician you’d like to have over for dinner: Keith Richards
Dream vacation-home location: Hahn’s Peak Village, Colorado
