G.D. Armstrong: Luthier

G.D.Armstrong was born in 1946 and raised in Ohio, USA. He made his first instrument , a cigar box banjo, at age 10 and has been an instrument maker and musician ever since. He has worked in a wide varity of trades including farming, construction, US Forest Service, sheetmetal working, ship building and bee keeping! For the last thirty plus years he has lived outside of Yamhill, Oregon on ninety-seven acres of woodland where he currently builds his stringed instruments. Some of the instruments are made with wood that he harvests on his property.

He enjoys both the challenges and rewards of instrument building because it requires satisfying several senses at the same time. Acoustically the instrument must be able to create the sounds associated with that family of instruments. Visually it has to be aesthetically pleasing. The instrument must also be comfortable to hold and play and be structurally sound. George David likens making a traditional instrument such as a violin to "writing a sonnet or haiku," because there are certain constraints placed on your work by the traditional form, but much freedom is allowed within that structure.

George David’s instruments have been used in performances by members of the Portland Baroque Orchestra and the Rendezvous String Band. His work has been shown in many galleries and can now be seen at Newberg Music Center.

Most of the instruments that he has made have been under his own name but some have been produced in collaberation with Mark Fitzsimon under the 'Greenmanhumming' label. These were all solid body electric bouzoukis. He is currently also producing a line of custom solid body electric guitars under the name of 'Bluenote' which are available only from Newberg Music Center.

Resophonic Bouzouki: Raffled off at Zoukfest 2007

Double Neck 5 String Mandolin and Electric Guitar:

Archtop Guitars:
Size: 17 3/8 inch lower boot
Top: Engleman Spruce
Back and sides: Flamed Oregon Maple
Neck: Maple
Finger board: Ebony
Pickup: Kent Armstrong floating Humbucker with volume control under pick guard
Finish: Nitro Cellulose Lacquer

Concert Sized Flat top:
Top: Cedar
Back and sides: Figured Black Walnut
Neck: Mahogany
Finger board: Ebony with Pearl and Abalone inlays
Pickup: None
Finish: French polish with Lacquer top coat

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