My Story
Why guitars? Why luthiery? Why independence?
These are the questions that have quietly shaped my path—not just as a craftsman, but as a creator. They’ve guided every decision, every design, and every refinement. They’re not just philosophical—they’re personal. And the answers, like the instruments I build, are clean, understated, and deeper than they first appear.
Why Guitars
Knife shown: Gray Taylor AKI 2017
I was fascinated by the guitar from an early age. My father had an old Marvel guitar—he bought it for five dollars at a garage sale and had to clean out mud-dauber nests just to make it playable. The body was massive, the action impossibly high—almost like a dobro. I’d strum it without knowing a single note, trying to learn chords on an instrument that fought back. We couldn’t afford a playable guitar, but the dream never left me.
My father worked as a mechanic in a chemical company, and my mother raised three kids at home. Money was tight, but our house was rich in craftsmanship. My father wasn’t just a mechanic—he is C. Gray Taylor, a man awarded as the premier custom art folding knife maker in the world on several occassions. His work combined precision, artistry, and function in a way that quietly shaped my own standards. I started making knives at a young age and joined the Knifemakers Guild at 14, the youngest member at the time. I knew I had the hands and the eye.
Years later, I read an article about a man in our area who built guitars. That was the spark. If he could do it, I could too. I had the skill, the drive, and the lingering desire to own a high-quality instrument. That’s how it started—not with a teacher or a textbook, but with a quiet conviction and a lifetime of craft behind me.
I've always been drawn to the guitar—not just as an instrument, but as a voice. It’s intimate, expressive, and endlessly nuanced. A single note can carry emotion, intention, and story. Building guitars felt like a natural extension of that language—one where I could shape the voice itself.
Why Luthiery
There’s a quiet satisfaction in shaping wood into something that sings. Luthiery is equal parts precision and intuition—like tuning a system that responds to touch and time. I found in it a craft that rewards patience, honors detail, and invites mastery. It’s not just about tools and templates—it’s about resonance, both acoustic and personal.
Though I’m an accomplished knifemaker, I’m drawn to wood for reasons that go beyond skill. It was once alive, and in my hands, it lives again—transformed into something beautiful, expressive, and enduring. Each instrument is a chance to pursue perfection, not as a destination, but as a path. Every build is a challenge, not to achieve flawlessness, but to become more refined in the pursuit of it.
I build out of love and passion—not just for the artists who play these instruments, or for the craft itself, but from a deeper spiritual sense. As Colossians 2:23 reminds me, whatever I do, I work at it with all my heart, as working for the Lord. That conviction shapes every curve, every joint, every note.
Why Independence
Luthiery is a deeply personal journey. It’s not just about building instruments—it’s about building oneself. Each decision, from wood selection to bracing pattern, shapes not only the tone and responsiveness of the guitar, but also the growth of the craftsman. The process invites reflection, fosters maturity, and rewards patience in ways the corporate world rarely allows.
In this craft, the choices are mine alone. Every element I select—every curve, every joint, every finish—becomes a stepping stone toward deeper understanding. With each build, I gain not just technical insight, but a kind of wisdom that only comes from doing the work with intention. It’s a freedom that’s hard to find in structured, technical environments where decisions are often diluted by committee or constrained by policy.
Independence allows me to pursue mastery without compromise. It lets me honor the materials, the artists, and the spirit behind each instrument. And it is in the quiet, focused space of independence that I am afforded the opportunity for this pursuit.
About the Luthier
David Taylor is a luthier based in Kingsport, Tennessee, building handcrafted acoustic guitars for musicians across the Tri‑Cities region and around the world. His instruments have been commissioned by players on multiple continents, including renowned artists such as Muriel Anderson and Tommy Emmanuel.
This is the story behind the sound. And it’s still being written—one fret, one page, one voice at a time.