44 MISSOULA LIVING February/March 2007 www.missoulaliving.com

In a western Montana wilderness paradise full of

rushing rivers, plentiful wildlife, and timbered

forests, some may be more than a bit surprised to

find a temperate craftsman making stringed musi-

cal instruments in a sequestered shop. However,

eight miles east of Alberton, off a dusty, pebbled, and

remote country road, there’s a luthier named John

Walker doing just that—one string and fretboard at a time.

BUILDING

ELABORATE

INSTRUMENTS

IS ALL IN A

DAY’S

WORK

FOR

AN

ALBERTON

ARTISAN.

JOHN WALKER GUITARS...

HARMONIOUS HANDCRAFTSMANSHIP:

By Brian D’Ambrosio�

MISSOULA LIVING February/March 2007 www.missoulaliving.com 45

46 MISSOULA LIVING February/March 2007 www.missoulaliving.com

Walker has been hand building fine, flat-top acoustic guitars from this location since2005. The names of the models that hecreates—such as Gus Creek, Lolo Creek,Clark Fork, and The Ruby—derive from therippling rivers and rolling creeks that thisuncommon architect enjoys and loves.

The elite Lolo Creek model is reminis-cent of guitars built in the 1930s and early1940s, with several more options incorpo-rated into its design. It’s a shallow-bodiedguitar with a rollicking sound and colorfulcomponents, including a Sitka spruce woodbody, red spruce bracing, and a hard maplerift-sawn bridge plate.

Part artisan, part machinist, part me-chanic, John Walker spends dozens anddozens of hours building one guitar—first tracing it for perfect symmetry, thendrawing and transferring its outline, andthen cutting, molding, and sanding itswooden body.

“I have developed a couple of modelsthat span a wide array of players’ preferences.I’m trying to stick with a few different mod-els and slight variations of those models, andbuild my guitars as similar[ly] as possible,”says Walker, pointing to one of his more elab-orate offerings—a new, unnamed model thatis stylish and distinct, blending both mapleand Honduran rosewood.

“I feel very fortunate that I am able tolive my passion of building acoustic instru-ments for people to play and enjoy,” addsWalker, a soft-spoken man characterized byshyness and modesty.

Walker’s background in the acoustic in-strument industry dates back more than 20years. Indeed, acknowledgments for JohnWalker’s work include reviews in a pair ofvanguard guitar-related publications:Gibson’s Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars, co-au-thored by Eldon Whitford, David Vinopaland Dan Erlewine, and Gibson Guitars: 100Years of an American Icon by Walter Carter.While such accolades stir up a sort of jovialand pleasant excitement within him, Walkeris even more inspired and touched when asatisfied client compliments the finishedproduct, or treats the elaborate instrumentwith visible reverence and care.

In terms of describing his pathway inlife, there’s almost no other way of definingthe learned John Walker: He’s a linear luthierwho has gained invaluable experience bystudying the innovative and meticulous ac-tions of some of the best masterminds of theguitar-making trade.

“I’ve found out that guitar making is allabout design and knowing what to do withthe materials that you have in front of you,”he says.

Walker’s calling to the craft started atthe Flatiron Mandolin and Banjo Companyin Bozeman back in the 1980s. “While atFlatiron, I began believing I could make aliving working with guitars,” he says. Aftera couple of years, Walker transitioned to theGibson Montana Division, also located inBozeman, where he studied the skills ofbuilding flat-top acoustic guitars. During histenure at Gibson Montana, he also helpeddevelop the business’ custom shop.

“At Gibson, it was my privilege to buildnon-production instruments for artists andspecial orders. I was also involved in creat-ing new models, and I learned tooling.”

At the end of 1995, Walker left GibsonGuitars and relocated to Seattle to work forTacoma Guitars, where he had the oppor-tunity to work diligently for long hours withMichael Gurian, a famous guitar-buildernoted in the industry for his innovation.

“From Gurian, I learned different aspectsof the guitar industry related to the manu-facture of marquetry, rosettes, bridge andend pins, and about handmade specialtyfiles and laser work.”

In 2001, Walker accepted the opportu-nity to work alongside Steve Andersen, a manfamed for his fine arch-top guitars and hismandolin creations. Indeed, such slogginghas paid appreciable dividends: Today, JohnWalker can tell a guitar made of Sitka spruceapart from one made of Engelmann sprucejust by the distinct sound each finished instru-ment delivers, and he’s thrilled to have hisvery own line of musical instruments, basedon what he knows, what he’s studied, andthe delicate and precise actions of his trade.

“I don’t want to build something thatpeople are going to say something badabout. I want each guitar to be structurallysound and aesthetically pleasing,” says

48 MISSOULA LIVING February/March 2007 www.missoulaliving.com

HARMONIOUS HANDCRAFTSMANSHIP: JOHN WALKER GUITARS

Walker, who loves the fact that solitary carv-ing, measuring, buffing, and painting ex-periences are all in his day’s work.Throughout the years, Walker has workedat smaller and smaller operations; now heworks alone, which, he says, keeps himmore engaged.

Even though he strives steadfastly to dohis very best, Walker understands that per-fection is hypothetical and abstract andwill always remain just beyond his reach.“Continuous improvement is a more rea-sonable objective,” he says.

Oddly, or perhaps not, Walker’s love ofguitar music and guitar building doesn’t ex-tend into the realm of self-taught musicalproficiency.

“I play enough to know if an instru-ment is right or complete. See, my job is tobuild a fine, quality instrument that you loveto play, not me.” M

For more information, visit www.johnwalkerguitars.com.