![]() ![]() He understands each instrument’s story and treats them with the care befitting their existence. Seeing him work in the huge repair shop in the back of Gryphon makes it obvious why the school brings him back again and again. ![]() He can still pick out a White Lady at 20 paces, but knows that a Stratocaster has two cutaways now.įord still teaches annual classes at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, a guitar-making and repair academy located in Phoenix, Arizona. Ford is one of the foremost repairmen in the world when it comes to acoustic instruments, and Johnston is both a historian of Martin guitars, as well as a part-time expert for the “Antiques Roadshow.” For the first twenty years working at Gryphon, Ford apparently couldn’t tell a Fender Stratocaster from a Telecaster, but if someone brought in a Gibson White Lady banjo, he could spot it a mile away. They’re familiar with the history of the instruments and the people, and both are deep wells of living history. Gryphon’s owners, Frank Ford and Richard Johnston, have been in the Bay Area’s folk music community since the 1960s. Five years later, and I walked in Gryphon’s doors wondering what had taken me so long. I said I would and promptly forgot that the place existed. The old wooden floors, the vinyl leather stool, the smell of new wood, the CDs and music books and the amplifiers that seemed to have never left became a second home over my high school years.īefore I left for school in Palo Alto, Harry Tuft, the owner and founder of the DFC, told me I had to check out a place called Gryphon Strings that was really near Stanford University. ![]() The place was the Denver Folklore Center, and I was instantly smitten. I walked into this story when I was 14 years old and in Denver, Colorado. SPECIAL REPORT: ‘Stateside’ – Voices of Silicon Valley’s homeless veterans.Home -Frontpage – 2 – Astra Pro/Spectra.Home – Frontpage – 5 – Spectra Pro/Temp Kits-Magazine.Home – Frontpage – 4 – Spectra Pro/Temp Kits-Blog.Home – Frontpage – 3 – Astra Pro/Spectra Pro.Home – Frontpage – 1 – Spectra/Temp Kits-Creative80.Data Viz: Vaccine opt-out rates in California over time.Data Viz: Median home prices around best area hospitals.Data Viz: Data breaches by type and over time.360-Degree Immersive Stories on Peninsula Press. ![]()
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