A Visit With Roy McAlister, Master Luthier

My loooong time friend Mark Mayhle introduced me to the celebrated Luthier Roy McAlister, known for his exquisite acoustic guitars, cherished by the the likes of David Crosby and Jackson Brown.

It was great to show him what I'm working on and see his shop and play one of his delightful smaller body instruments. I think that Roy finds the bombast of big guitars to be impressive only to the less sophisticated musical palette. His instrument definitely impressed me with it's balance and clarity. His 25th anniversary instrument was on display but detuned so I didn't get to try that out.

Here are some photos. (Never trust a woodworker with a clean shop).

Roy's 25th anniversary instrument with fabulous MOP and abalone inlays.

This is Roy's side bender: a big piece of copper pipe with a charcoal lighter stuck inside it. Roy likes is simple not fancy

You can catch up on his lore on the Interwebs. It was a delight to visit for a bit and I hope we can do some with together so I can catch some of his aura.