Guitar maker strikes a chord with Valley musicians
Master builder Greg Brandt designs for individual needs

BY FRED RUBIN

One balmy March day in 1981, I was cruising down Riverside Drive headed for my (then) home in Chandler Estates, when a garage sale caught my eye and I pulled over. I soon realized that although several people had pooled their belongings, there was nothing of interest to me.

I was about to walk away when out of the blue, one of the participants - a craggy, artistic looking guy - asked me, "Do you play the guitar?"

"Yes, I do," I replied, somewhat astonished.

"I make guitars," the guy countered. "Want to see one?"

Moments later I found myself in the cramped apartment/workshop of Greg Brandt, who proudly showed me a stunning, hand-crafted, steel string guitar made of fine Indian rosewood and spruce. It was, he explained, the fifth guitar he had made. I played it for all of ten minutes ... and I was hooked. I left a short while later, guitar in hand, having shelled out $500.

Surely, I thought as I drove away, this must be a record for money spent at a garage sale in the San Fernando Valley. To this day, even though I own six other instruments, I still play Greg's guitar and marvel at its beauty and tone.

I recently caught up with Brandt at a new location, a vastly improved workshop in Valley Village. In the 26 years since we met, he has hand-built 150 custom guitars (mostly classical) and has become one of the most respected luthiers in the Los Angeles guitar community.

We sat down among the sawdust, chisels and stacks of fine woods, and spoke about his early beginnings and path to becoming a master craftsman.

"I credit a lot of things to serendipity," Brandt said of his journey. "I had no experience with tools, and had never built anything more than a shoe shine box in junior high. But one day in 1977 while working at 'My Contribution,' a natural food restaurant across from Valley College, a customer showed me a book he had found, "How to Build a Steel String Guitar", and it tweaked my interest."

Brandt went on to relate that two weeks later, while he and his Dad were waiting for a fast food order in a Venice restaurant, he noticed a guitar-shaped sign across the street. He was drawn in to investigate and soon found himself in a store "where a guy was building a guitar."

As Brandt recalled, "A puzzle piece fell into place in my brain and I realized ... people make guitars." Also, being a "picker" himself, he thought, "it would be outstanding to play a guitar that I built on my own." At first, this was his only motive. With little more than a how-to book, a Dremel tool, and a chisel, Brandt set out building his first guitar on a coffee table in his living room.

Then, halfway through the process, he had an epiphany. "I was looking at my hands and I thought, my hands really know this work." He realized even before he had finished his first instrument that he would be making more. That knowledge made it easier for him to let his first guitar go when someone offered to buy it.

Following that, Brandt wisely took a job at a woodworking supply store, where he acquired superior knowledge of tools and hardwoods. There his life took another serendipitous turn when he met Bob Mattingly, a master guitar maker who took Brandt on as an apprentice. He built two more guitars with Mattingly, and then, with better tools, expert instruction and more experience, Brandt's craftsmanship set him on the path to the reputation he holds today.

"Greg's guitars are the best," said George Doering, a famed studio musician and owner of two Brandt guitars. "Whenever a nylon string guitar is needed for a session, I'd be nervous using any other than his. It always sounds just right in the whole mix. I just used a Brandt guitar on the soundtrack for The Devil Wears Prada."

John Pisano, the acclaimed studio musician who runs the popular "Tuesday Night Guitar Night" at Spazio jazz club in Sherman Oaks, is also a fan and benefactor of Brandt. "Greg's guitars are very special instruments for me," Pisano noted. "I think he's one of the most promising guitar builders there is. He keeps getting better and better." Pisano used one of Brandt's guitars on Diana Krall's "Look of Love" album, which recently went platinum.

Being a master builder has also led Brandt to do repair work on other instruments that he didn't create. About 15 percent of his business is in repairs. Often, such restoration work leads to sales - as was the case with Andy Griffith. Aside from being an internationally known film and television star, Griffith is also an exceptional guitarist. Some might remember him picking on his front porch in the classic "Andy Griffith Show." One day while bringing a repaired instrument back to Griffith, Brandt showed him a junior-sized, soprano steel string guitar he had crafted. "Honey," Griffith called out to his wife, "How much cash do we have in the house?" Griffith proceeded to buy that guitar and order several more as gifts. Besides Brandt's nylon-stringed classical guitars, these pint-sized versions are so popular that he sells every one he builds.

Due to Brandt's painstaking care and the quality of his materials, he only builds eight to ten guitars per year. He keeps no inventory and builds each one specifically for the customer. Clients should also be prepared to pay considerably more than I did in 1981 - about nine times more. This is, after all, Brandt's livelihood. As Brandt personally reminded me, "Even my Mom has stopped asking when I'm going to get a real job."

Greg Brandt can be reached at (818) 980-9348. Visit his website at www.gregbrandtguitars.com.

Portraits of Greg by Bob Barry • Copyright © 2007 Sun Community Papers