I have been around guitars my entire life. I recall my first one, a small Stella acoustic. It was given to me when I was five years old by a buddy of my dad’s. Even at that early age, I already had the bug. I came from a family of musicians: uncles, aunts, cousins all played music. Both my dad and uncle played with the likes of Bob Wills, Leon McAuliffe, Roy Rogers and many others. As a matter of fact, my uncle had left Leon McAuliffe’s band in the mid-50’s to go to work for Leo Fender as an early Artist Relations representative. Consequently, through the 60’s and 70’s, I played guitars with the Leo Fender thumbprint on them.

In 1976, when I was of legal employment age, I went to work smacking finger joints and hide glue together in the cabinet shop at Music Man. Shortly thereafter, I moved across town to make the guitars but was hungry for more than just swinging necks and installing frets. A bit later, after being taken on by Dale Fortune, I began designing and building guitars in his small shop in Tustin, CA. Guys like Melvin Davis, Mike Hamilton, Doc Kauffman, George Fullerton, Leo Fender, Bill Schultz, Charlie Capozzolli and others, often dropped by to see what we were doing.

From Music Man, Fortune and later with G&L, I went to work for the Fender Musical Instrument Corporation in the spring of 1991. Starting out as a painter and after a bit of prodding by master builder J.W. Black, John Page brought me on board into the Fender Custom Shop. His instructions to me were simple: “You’re a guitar builder, find something to do.” We worked relentlessly. The shop was still small and required that all of us do whatever was necessary to get the job done. Lots of laughs and great times, the creative energy was something that cannot be described to those who weren’t there. From painter to builder to R&D, artist relations, master guitar builder and teacher, I had the opportunity to design and build some wonderful instruments while working alongside the greatest bunch of folks. With Gene Baker, Kenny Gin, Vince Cunetto, John Suhr, Fred Stuart and others, I built one-off pieces for Eric Clapton, Merle Haggard, Roscoe Beck, JD Dworkow, Buck Owens, Sting, Stu Hamm, Mark Browne and Bob Dylan. I worked with Lee Dickson, Pierre deBeauport, John Shanks, Geddy Lee, Marty Stuart, Keith Richards, Rudy Sarzo and so many others through the years. I collaborated with world class artists like John “Crash” Matos after we met in a San Francisco hotel lobby. With my old pal, Dan Scholz, Steve Kaufman (an Andy Warhol protégé)Disney’s Ed Reynolds and Chris Schnabel, we made one-of-a-kind art pieces for George Harrison, Paul Stewart, John Mayer and others. I won’t understate it, it’s a charmed gig! Name dropping? I can’t mention one and not the others. If I slipped and forgot anyone, I apologize to those I didn’t mention. They all played a pivotal role in defining my chops and I hope in some small way I returned the privilege back to them.

Ready for a change, while on a company trip to Japan in 2009, I received and accepted an offer for a position as Quality Advisor and instructor at the Fender manufacturing facility in Ensenada, Mexico. I lived it, breathed it, and helped bring them up to speed with enhanced guitar building and finishing skills. During the nearly six years I worked there, I watched their capabilities improve in large proportions. Today, they’re making really great quality products.

In January 2016, I decided to leave Fender and all that which has been around me for my entire life. It’s a big guitar world and lots of folks are doing it. Big or small, I’ve decided to do it on my own terms. Lines, sound and color (ears, eyes, and senses) are all very important to me. I’ll continue to create that which, in some way, is guitar related and uses every bit of that. Are there guitars on the horizon? Along with additional creations, of course! With a lot of giants propping me up, currently it’s pretty much a one man operation but, I assure you, quite rewarding.

I have been asked what it was that sets a Masterbuilt guitar apart from the others. I responded with – “personalized attention to detail.” I still feel the same. That will continue to be my mantra. Starting at a moderate pace, I’ll create small batches of guitar related offerings. Development has been a reward in itself so it’s time to put some of it out there.

Thanks for hanging with me.
Peace, Love, and Guitars – Mark