High School Dreams

by Dave Schneider

Originally published in American Lutherie #10, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000



Years ago, I wanted to do something different, something no one else was doing. I wanted to own my own business as a guitar maker. I’m living out my high school dreams.

My father showed me the art of fine craftsmanship when I was a boy. My high school woodworking teacher was a luthier. As I was one of the more advanced students he asked me if I was interested in making a guitar. I looked at Irving Sloane’s Classical Guitar Construction and told him I thought it looked too difficult, but later I said I would try. I needed a good challenge because I wasn’t really interested in academic subjects.