Biography
Jeffrey R. Elliott was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He began playing guitar at age sixteen and immediately fell in love with the sound of the classical guitar, which led to his performing folk music professionally while majoring in Fine Arts at Michigan State University. In 1964, a chance visit to Richard Schneider’s workshop in Detroit opened the door to the world of lutherie, and two years later he began a six-year apprenticeship with Schneider. In 1973 he moved to Portland, Oregon where he resides with fellow luthier Cyndy Burton.
In 1975 Jeffrey wrote and co-produced the color slide presentation The Handcrafted Classic Guitar, which accompanied one of his guitars in the Smithsonian Institution’s 1978-1979 Renwick Gallery exhibit, The Harmonious Craft, in Washington, D.C. Jeffrey has been an active member of the Guild of American Luthiers since 1975 as an author for American Lutherie magazine and as a convention lecturer and exhibitor. He has also been an organizer for Portland’s annual Handmade Musical Instrument Exhibition since 1975, has taught guitar making privately since 1972 and at the American School of Lutherie in Healdsburg, California beginning in 1997. Clientele include Julian Bream, Ralph Towner, Marcelo Kayath, Leo Kottke, Jonathan Leathwood, Ekachai Jearakul, Frank Wallace, Michael Butten, Plinio Fernandes, Tal Hurwitz, Bryan Johanson, Scott Kritzer, David Cullen, Paul Chasman, Dick Weissman, Earl Klugh, and Burl Ives.
Over the past two decades Jeffrey has selectively undertaken the restoration of guitars made by such historically important makers as Antonio de Torres, Francisco Gonzalez, Manual Ramirez, Santos Hernandez, and Hermann Hauser l and ll, among others. He has lectured about the more prominent of these at several GAL Conventions, his articles about them have been published in American Lutherie magazine, and his full-scale plans have been made available through the GAL, complete with specifications and photos, so that other makers may emulate these great makers of the past, and that everyone can better understand and appreciate these historical masterpieces. He has also published complete full-scale plans of his version of the open harmonic bar top bracing design (GAL Instrument Plan #74), which he has used exclusively since 1990. Currently, Jeffrey is concentrating more exclusively on making his own guitars for those on his waiting list.
In 1975 Jeffrey wrote and co-produced the color slide presentation The Handcrafted Classic Guitar, which accompanied one of his guitars in the Smithsonian Institution’s 1978-1979 Renwick Gallery exhibit, The Harmonious Craft, in Washington, D.C. Jeffrey has been an active member of the Guild of American Luthiers since 1975 as an author for American Lutherie magazine and as a convention lecturer and exhibitor. He has also been an organizer for Portland’s annual Handmade Musical Instrument Exhibition since 1975, has taught guitar making privately since 1972 and at the American School of Lutherie in Healdsburg, California beginning in 1997. Clientele include Julian Bream, Ralph Towner, Marcelo Kayath, Leo Kottke, Jonathan Leathwood, Ekachai Jearakul, Frank Wallace, Michael Butten, Plinio Fernandes, Tal Hurwitz, Bryan Johanson, Scott Kritzer, David Cullen, Paul Chasman, Dick Weissman, Earl Klugh, and Burl Ives.
Over the past two decades Jeffrey has selectively undertaken the restoration of guitars made by such historically important makers as Antonio de Torres, Francisco Gonzalez, Manual Ramirez, Santos Hernandez, and Hermann Hauser l and ll, among others. He has lectured about the more prominent of these at several GAL Conventions, his articles about them have been published in American Lutherie magazine, and his full-scale plans have been made available through the GAL, complete with specifications and photos, so that other makers may emulate these great makers of the past, and that everyone can better understand and appreciate these historical masterpieces. He has also published complete full-scale plans of his version of the open harmonic bar top bracing design (GAL Instrument Plan #74), which he has used exclusively since 1990. Currently, Jeffrey is concentrating more exclusively on making his own guitars for those on his waiting list.
I'd like to thank my son, Jonah Elliott for designing this site with me and turning the virtual nuts and bolts to make it happen; and my partner, Cyndy Burton for contributing and editing text, photo preparation, and her perseverance.