Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Madrid
Hi Brandon , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in New Mexico playing in punk bands then moved around a bit for work then, I started building instruments in my basement in Burlington Vt in the late 90’s
Now I spend my time between San Diego Los Angeles and Portland Oregon. Three cities of great importance to my life they all are extremely inspirational to my journey as a luthier
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As soon as I started people wanted what I was making. Most people that get into instrument building or repair have a hard time getting started. I was very lucky that I had a day job at first to off set my income and I stuck to hand building not learning Cnc or cad. That proved to be important making my skill set more valuable. I have built a life of work with instruments and furniture and design
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Im a luthier I build and restore instruments, I specialize in acoustic restoration and vintage instruments Im also known for doing neck resets and complex repairs on instruments I now spend a lot of my time doing re repairs. Repairing instruments that were messed up by another luthier. I’m always the last person I get referred to by my clients as the guitar whisperer I can fix anything and I have seen everything
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think CNC and AI will change the guitar and music industry, CNC has taken the hands on away from luthier and most builders now dont know how to use tools anymore thats sad. I see myself becoming more skilled and focused on high end restoration. The in onslaught of what I call internet luthiers people that are more focused on being famous on YouTube or instagram luthiers like myself are becoming more difficult to fined because we put the work into the instruments not editing videos.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://madridguitars.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madridguitars
Image Credits
Brandon Madrid
