California Luthier Keeps the Art of Hand-Building Guitars Alive

For the past 35 years, Al Calderone has been teaching the rare art of building acoustic guitars at his shop, ARC Guitar, in Winters, California.

Calderone, a luthier, helps students transform raw wood into handcrafted instruments while teaching woodworking skills and traditional guitar-making techniques. He says the craft is becoming increasingly rare, with only about a dozen workshops across the country offering hands-on instruction. His is the only one in California.

Building a guitar typically takes around 200 hours, and students travel from across the United States to learn the process. One student is creating a guitar as a surprise gift for his father, while another hopes to use the skills to start a guitar-making business.

Calderone built his first guitar at age 40 and has since crafted nearly 90 instruments. He says hearing a finished guitar produce its first notes is one of the most rewarding moments of the process.

Since opening ARC Guitar, Calderone has guided 136 students through building their own instruments. At 68 years old, he says he has no plans to retire and hopes to continue passing the craft on to future generations.

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