The Luthier

“As soon as I learned there were people who made instruments, I wanted to do it. Before I moved out of my parents’ house and went to art school, I was looking into lutherie programs around the country.” Craig Pfeister is a 29 year old luthier who has a studio in the Rhino art district of Denver. In his studio he creates custom guitars that have managed to capture the eyes and ears of musicians everywhere. 

The Beginning of an Artist

                Craig went to The Academy of Art University (AAU) in San Francisco shortly after graduating high school.  He grew up in a traditional mid-west town in Ohio. His dad was a blue-collar worker and his mom a nurse. Music was never perceived as a life-long career to his family and friends. “I’ve always had a knack for art and music, which made me a bit of a black sheep with my family and most of the world around me. Most people put an emphasis on other aspects of life, but, for me, if things didn’t involve creativity, they didn’t seem important. Although that hasn’t really changed even into adulthood”. Craig decided to follow the advice of his family and peers, instead of pursuing a career in lutherie, he went to AAU to study film.

Craig's Stagolee guitar 

                During his final year at AAU he realized that he wanted to go back to his ultimate dream of making guitars. Taking a leap of faith he finished his degree and then began to look into lutherie. It took Craig two years of research, practice and experiments to finally comprehend the craft behind being a luthier. 

The History and Art of Lutherie

                Lutherie is the profession of making stringed instruments and a luthier is the individual who builds them. Luthiers have been around since before the Renaissance (which was the height of this profession). Stringed instruments were once called lutes. Due to the cost of the instrument, music lessons and strings, the majority of the students who played lutes came from wealthy families. This gave luthiers a prestigious status in the community. However, after the Renaissance the world of luthiers vanished and not a single lute, workshop, or tool from this era survived. There is no documented history on why the most respected musical instrument in Europe was almost all but forgotten, but many scholars agree that with the invention of keyboard instruments and larger orchestras becoming more popular the lute was no longer appreciated against the new competition.

                However, lutherie had its own revival. With the invention of viol family (violins, cellos and bowed instruments) luthiers were once again in demand and respected. Guitars became an important instrument in Spain, where they originated. In the 1800’s Spanish guitars made their way to America. Once there, a luthier named, C. F. Martin adapted Spanish guitars by putting metal strings on the instrument and this new guitar became the center piece for American folk music. The progression into other genres rapidly increased after Martin’s invention. Most luthiers today concentrate on making one type of instrument and the one commonality luthiers seem to share is that they knew since the time they were children that they wanted to make instruments. The most famous luthier of today, Bob Benedetto is quoted saying, “Since I was a little boy, I was interested in only two things:

Music and wood. Guitars were all I ever thought about. I think we instinctively make what we love”.

Selling the First Guitar and Establishing a Career

The lupin guitar

                Once Craig completed his first guitar it only took three hours for it to be sold. He recalls the feeling he experienced as, “Scary. I still feel the same way every time one sells. I normally deal with stress very well, but when I’m waiting to hear back from someone who is about to try out a guitar I made, I get horrible anxiety and can’t think about anything else until they report back to me and tell me they love it.” Which, from the smile across his face this is a reoccurring reaction from his clients. After selling the initial guitar Craig never looked back on having a typical job.  Four months later an agent, Clif Cultreri, who specializes in selling guitars from the best builders in the world, contacted Craig in hopes of representing him. Craig jumped at the opportunity and discovered that he was also the youngest luthier to ever be taken on-he was just 25!

The Move to Denver

                An artist has the luxury of living anywhere, for Craig his career led him to Denver. After living in New York for two years the busyness and cost of living was too much. “I needed a place that offered space to grow and evolve as an artist”. Colorado has an element which beckons for creativity. Being one of the most rapidly developing states for art there is less pressure to be a certain type of artist like you see back east.  On the East Coast the art world is already long established. The gallery and museum culture is set up in a way that constricts artists to fit a certain stereotype. Craig wanted nothing to do with that type of constraint. “It’s a good time to be an artist in Denver. The art world here is finally receiving the recognition it deserves and the other artists are inspiring to be around”.

The World of a Luthier

                Luthiers are becoming extremely rare artists to find. With more and more commercial guitar companies dominating the field like, Fender and Gibson, talented and unique guitars are a commodity. Craig says, “Most of us in the business know each other, which should say a lot about how few of us there are. I’m proud of the fact that there are very few people in the world who can successfully make a stringed instrument. Even fewer are willing to do it for a living”. You have to have talent, skill and an eye for what is going to creatively work. “Most people see my guitars and assume my oddball visual aesthetics are what makes them special”.

The Abused Blues #1 guitar being lit on fire for aesthetic reasons. 

                The amount of time and dedication to Craig’s clients can also be seen admirable. “I spend a lot more time choosing woods and making the guitars feel and sound unique as possible. I make them look the way they do because I want them to inspire the musician playing them”. He describes his clients as genuine and that means that the guitars he makes, need to represent them. “It has never made sense to me how somebody playing dirty blues or metal can play a guitar that’s shiny and pristine and looks like it cost more than their car. I often distress the instruments so they look beat up. When a guitarist picks up a guitar that is already beat up, they naturally don’t worry about scratching it or needing to baby it and they feel free to just play naturally”. To Craig being a luthier is not just about making guitars. It’s about a philosophy and the relationship that happens between a musician and an instrument. 

A Typical Day in the Studio

                Guitars are not made in a day, or at least remarkable guitars are not from what Craig explains. Most of his days are spent focusing on one element that needs to be done such as, craving wood or sanding. Most of the tasks that seem minuet require a lot of attention to detail and multi-tasking is not an option. The great thing about being an artist is that every day is different. While one thing can take three days’ worth of attention another aspect might only take half-a-day. Days are not planned out, “I don’t like routine very much. That is why a job at Starbucks or Barnes & Noble didn’t last for me. I need to be my own boss, with my own agenda of items that day that I want to work on”.

Custom Work

                Discussing the topic of making customs guitars seems to be a touchy subject for Craig. For every guitar is an extension of the individual artist. Musicians love a particular luthier’s work because it comes from that person. Even when a client does want a custom guitar specialized for them, they have to understand that while a guitar can encompass the characteristics of what they are looking for, the client is ultimately seeking a guitar that is envisioned by the luthier. Craig explains, “I actually want to be able to stop doing customs soon. When I’m free to make what I want, the end result is much, much better. Sometimes I’ll decide to put a guitar aside until inspiration for it returns, so I can make it as amazing as it can be”. Ultimately, as an artist you need to be inspired by your work or the end product will only be half of what you wanted and as a client, you will also be disappointed in the artist and the guitar. “I have had to turn people down for wanting replicas of other guitars. I’m not interested in vintage or copying collectable guitars and therefore, I’m not comfortable making those”. Every luthier has a specialty and it is the responsibility of the consumer to find a builder that can meet their needs. 

His Inspiration

Most of the artists who inspire Craig have nothing to do with the music world. He approaches his work more like a sculptor or painter than a craftsman. In regards to the most influential artist in his life Craig responded with, “Caravaggio by far. His paintings look almost common place these days, but he was far ahead of his time. On top of being a complete genius, he was the first “badass” artist. He was renowned across Italy as one of the greatest and most successful painters alive, but refused to cater to the wealthy people who bought his work and wanted to make him one of them. Instead, he hung around the low class people, spending a lot of time in rough bars, often starting fights for his own enjoyment. I’ve always appreciated his attitude, even if most people find it a little disturbing. I love that even in a time when artists were expected to sell out and act as something they weren’t; he completely refused and lived the way he wanted. He led the way for modern artists, who are now expected to be a little “off-center” and do their thing”. Craig’s enthusiasm and admiration for Caravaggio translates not only into his body language, but also into the work he produces. 

How you Want to be Remembered?

   Most people would like to be remembered for what they have accomplished-this is not the case for Craig. While being remembered for having a remarkable career and leaving behind a legacy with his guitars would be the obvious choice of replies, Craig is more focused on the way he dies.  “I want a death that makes the news”. Even after his death, Craig does not want a typical burial or cremation, “I want to packed full of explosives, catapulted, and ignited in midair, leaving people with a story to tell, not just a thoughtful memory”. 

For more information or to view Craig’s guitars check out his website at Pfeisterguitars.com or at Facebook.com/Pfeisterguitars