Gary Flaherty was one of my success stories as a teacher of instrument making. In the years after I left Ervin’s shop I taught quite a few people to build a guitar. Gary went on to become Kim Breedlove’s right hand man at Breedlove. He was a house framer when I met him and a natural luthier. He just needed someone who could walk him through it. The Diploma seems a bit pretentious to me now, but it is quite similar to what Ervin did at the time. I believe it did help Gary get the interview at Breedlove.

The solidbody mandolin before the neck was carved.

Jordan Celtic Harp 1983 – commissioned by a guitar player in my church choir. Photo 1 of 2.

Jordan Celtic Harp 1983 – commissioned by a guitar player in my church choir. Photo 2 of 2.

Yes, I built a polyphonic synth completely from scratch. I started designing it in the late 1970s and finished it in the mid-1980s. At the time I designed it, it had some new and ahead-of-the-curve features that were commonplace and behind-the-curve by the time I finished it. But the last I heard, the person who has it still uses it in a prog-rock band.

Just a pretty composite archtop. It’s an L-5 body outline with Super 400 F-holes and a D’Angelico headstock with a Johnny Smith Double pickguard – the best of several guitars assembld together. Photo1 of 2.

Just a pretty composite archtop. It’s an L-5 body outline with Super 400 F-holes and a D’Angelico headstock with a Johnny Smith Double pickguard – the best of several guitars assembld together. Photo 2 of 2.

This is the first Jordan guitar that still exists. Built in High School wood shop. I paid Ervin to slot the fingerboard for me. I made a couple of horrible acoustic guitars that either fell apart or didn’t sound good before this solidbody but I took them out in the street and smashed them after they disappointed me. Then I’d start the next one. I’ve seen this guitar in recent years and it’s still going strong.

Here’s an abalone bordered and rosette guitar I’m getting ready to fit the neck on.

Jordan electric violins with inlay by Craig Lavin. Photo 1 of 6.

Jordan electric violins with inlay by Craig Lavin. Photo 2 of 6.

Jordan electric violins with inlay by Craig Lavin. Photo 3 of 6.

Jordan electric violins with inlay by Craig Lavin. Photo 4 of 6.

Jordan electric violins with inlay by Craig Lavin. Photo 5 of 6.

Jordan electric violins with inlay by Craig Lavin. Photo 6 of 6.

For this original design solidbody cello, I wanted something that was immediately recognizable as different from everything else out there. After it was done, several people noticed the “Star Trekkiness” of it. The leg supports do resemble the nacelles of the space ships from the show. What can I say. I like Sci-Fi.

I had this lovely piece of wood that was sold to me years ago as “Brazilian Pomegranate”. I showed it to Todd Taggart and a few other people when I got it and no one was quite sure what it was, but it’s pretty and it has a great tap tone. I switched to Kasha back bracing many years ago after I heard the back on a Colin Kaminski guitar that I really thought had the liveliest rosewood back I’d heard. He attributed it to the bracing scheme and I’m incline to agree. I never was as sold on the top bracing, so I’ve put fairly normal x braced tops with kasha braced backs for years. That way I could be a traitor to both camps at the same time. This particular back kept trying to go potato-chip on me and bend in ways that were too strong to allow for the floating Kasha bracing to wrangle it into a reliable 15-foot radius dome, so I hybridized it with ladder bracing (which I generally would not do) just to force this piece of wood to hold its shape. It still has some of the complex tap tone characteristics that I like about Kasha back bracing, but it’s definitely stiffer. Sometimes the piece of wood forces your hand a bit. I’ll let you know how it comes out as it goes together. I normally put on backs first, so I’ll be able to tell more once it is glued to the sides. The photo is mid-shaving of the braces and I might decide to shave a bit more when the back is on the sides.

At the 1990 GAL Convention. From left: Ted Davis, John Jordan, Donald Warnock, Joe Johnson.

At the 1990 GAL Convention.

At the 1990 GAL Convention benefit auction. John Jordan, John's late wife Margaret, and Don Warnock.

At the 1990 GAL Convention benefit auction. Todd Brotherton and John Jordan.

At the 1990 GAL Convention benefit auction. John Jordan with “The Little Man.”

At the 1995 GAL Convention.

At the 1995 GAL Convention. Rob Gower, John Jordan, Guy Rabut, and Wes Brandt among others.