Green
Mountain Guitars were inspired by the Suzuki Violin Program at
H.B Woodsong's. In the repair shop there I often worked on the small fractional size
violins and noticed a lack of a similar quality children's guitar on the market at that
time.
I designed a small bodied guitar with
three interchangeable, different length necks. Basically
small, medium or full scale-lengths. The bodies were laminated mahogany
with solid spruce tops.
The necks bolted onto the
body electric guitar style and the shorter necks used the same
scale length just cut off at the second or fourth frets similar to using
a capo. See how the position marker dots shift.
The bridge had a small insert
piece that could be changed to adjust the string spacing because the
shorter necks also had narrower string spreads.
I made a set and took them to the
NAMM show. It was the same show that Taylor Guitars introduced the
"Baby " Taylor and suddenly small guitars were hip! Steve
Henderson from Breedlove Guitars offered me an opportunity to build them
at the Breedlove shop.
I moved up to Bend, Oregon and
with the help of the Breedlove team we set up production. They were sold as "Green Mountain Guitars"
through the Breedlove dealer network.
We got some nice reviews in
Acoustic Guitar and Guitar Player Magazines.
Eventually the neck options
expanded to include 5-string banjo, an octave mandolin/bouzouki style
and a 6-string dulcimer-style fretted neck.
Necks came with a
corresponding bridge insert and could be purchased separately.
We made a lot of them!
As the project progressed and the concept of the "travel"
guitar took hold in the market orders for the full-length model
dominated but we still continued to offer and build the smaller
"children's" models. The banjo, dulcimer and mandolin versions
also drew attention for their uniqueness.
By the next
NAMM show there were already several other companies making and
marketing similar small instruments.
Even though Green Mountains were selling
well, without the CNC or overseas manufacturing capabilities of our
competitors profitability and growth were limited.
Production ceased
and I moved on to become Production Manager at the then newly
formed C Fox Guitar Company.
