A Scene from Dickens

by Steve Curtin

Originally published in American Lutherie #7, 1986 and The Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume 1, 2000

See also,
“H.L. Wild” by Paul Wyszkowski
“Out of the Basement” by Richard Bingham



I suppose the seeds of the notion to build an instrument were planted in many of us in The Last Whole Earth Catalog, from which I learned of this fabulous establishment on Manhattan's Lower East Side. I think I planned to build some dulcimers first, and embarked by train and subway for the place. This was 1974.

Great neighborhood! Inside, I was greeted by a scene out of Dickens. The light through the unwashed windows and dust was poetic in the best cinematic style. Unfamiliar woods were every­where, strewn in chaos. Light barely penetrated the rear of the shop.