The foundation of this guitar brokerage is a pure love for music.
.
My love for music started with a nylon string guitar presented by my parents at about age eight; shortly thereafter followed an electric guitar and amp, leading to a grammar school rock band. In my teens I purchased a prewar Martin and became hooked on the sound of great guitars of all kinds. Lessons with Jerry Hahn followed. A friend and I built a crude home recording studio. Around this time I bought an Ibanez electric bass, removed the frets, filled the fret slots and smoothed the fret board for a home made fretless bass to put Joe Osborne out of business (Joe lost no sleep).
.
Later I purchased two analog synthesizers, one being the great ARP 2600. Those raised in the digital age may be entertained by knowing we had to routinely deal with tuning drift of analog oscillators “back in the day”.
.
It was an honor to study synthesizer programming with Dr. Patrick Gleeson, who introduced Herbie Hancock to synthesizers and owned the studio Different Fur Trading Company in San Francisco, where Hancock’s seminal “Headhunters” was recorded. Later I taught synthesizer programming at Blue Bear Waltzes School of Music in San Francisco. Around this time I was hired to assist in the Sausalito Record Plant, working on Roy Buchanan’s “In the Beginning” album and another by New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was fun programming the synthesizer for the Buchanan album and even more fun working with Tower of Power. Greg Adams wrote horn arrangements while carrying on with multiple other sundry tasks. The band required one practice run then played flawlessly including solo while the tape ran. My innards were massaged by Stephen “Doc” Kupka playing his baritone saxophone up close in the control room.
.
A twenty eight year career with the San Francisco Fire Department started in 1978; I retired as Captain in spring of 2007. During this time my love for music and recorded sound was expressed by working at a high-end home loudspeaker company. Some of my suggestions were employed in the production line. I also sold select audio and some video gear.
.
Local Live Music Scene
Because live music is so special, my wife and I have hired local musicians to play at private parties in our home. When award winning pianist Brandon Lee played, it was a rare treat to sit on the floor, under the soundboard, just a few feet in front of the piano. A jazz guitarist was hired to play at our 2008 Christmas party and that is when I was introduced to Thorell guitars.
.
Consider scheduling your visit when you can attend a local musical performance at USU, Bridger Folk Music Society or the Eccles Performing Arts Center.
.
Bridger Folk Music sponsors small concerts, usually at a sweet all-wood building housing Crumb Brothers Bakery in Logan, Utah; see the Bridger web site above to get on their email notification list and/or check upcoming performers.
.
Lastly, ten minutes drive from my location, USU has one of the world’s greatest venues in the Manon Caine Russell and Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall. The architect of this hall has won over a hundred awards; it has the best ambience and acoustics of any I’ve experienced.
.
Visitors from major metropolitan areas may be shocked at local prices and conveniences. Tickets at USU and Bridger Folk average around $10 and you’ll have to walk all of about fifty steps from your car (park free in one of the lowest crime areas in the USA). Bridger performances often have free fresh brewed coffee and home style cookies.
.
Enjoy! Maybe you’ll love it here and move like we did!
.
How I Came To Buy A Thorell
After moving from California to north Utah I purchased a Chang baby grand piano and started shopping for a new guitar. An employee at a guitar store recommended local builder Ryan Thorell for guitars in my price range. Frankly, I thought chances were slim that a superior builder would live in quaint Cache Valley. Ryan was pleasant on the phone and invited me to play one of his guitars.
.
I leaned strongly toward purchasing an R Taylor until my R Taylor dealer sang Thorell’s praises, though he was not a Thorell dealer! I said R Taylor would likely maintain better resale value. He contradicted me, saying Thorell might have better resale than an R Taylor.
.
That reply was unexpected. How great must a Thorell be that a retailer would risk losing a commission by praising the performance and resale value of an instrument he could not sell? I assumed this dealer was honest and a great lover of fine guitars.
.
The rest, as they say, is history. I visited Ryan Thorell’s shop, played a new mahogany Dreadnaught, and wrote a check.
.
I’ve learned that Frank Vignola (played with Dave Grisman) prefers his Thorell Corina to his ’37 Martin D-18.