When we visited Dave Boynton‘s Plainfield studio back in April, he had some great tunes playing in the shop. We asked if he was a musician, as well as a master furniture maker. His reply… “I’ve been playing guitar for a long time. My goal is to someday be a solid “hey, he doesn’t stink” player…maybe even, “mediocre”. He sighs… “One can dream…and (or) practice,” with a wink. We think Dave’s a pretty modest guy, judging from how he talks about his furniture.
Earlier this week, the craftsman shared a blog post that tells the design story of a display piece he’s dubbed ‘Custom Acoustic.’ The cabinet and dry bar won first place at last year’s Fine Furniture Festival Competition in Woodstock and is currently on display at the Vermont State House in Montpelier. Have a read…
a scene from dave’s shop
“I’ve entertained the idea that, one day, I would build myself a fine acoustic instrument. For any musician, the attraction to the guitar as “object” is hard to deny. The good ones are skillfully crafted from carefully selected materials, elegant both in appearance and function. Ironically, as I acquired more woodworking knowledge and my furniture making skill-set grew, my inclination to delve into the world of instrument building began to stall. How many would I have to build before I got one better than the guitars I already owned? Martin and Fender have been at it for quite a while…A friend of mine who has been building VERY nice guitars for many years (props to luthier, Michael Tulloch, Chelsea Vermont) remembered being pretty happy with numbers 4 & 5, but was seeing noticeable improvements by numbers 8 & 9…
Reality check: I enjoy building furniture and am pretty good at it. I really like playing the guitar and, at this point, realize my time would be much better spent practicing than trying to figure out how to build one. I resolve to put fresh strings on the Martin, pick it up more often and put the guitar building fantasy to bed…but not quietly.
Custom Acoustic was conceived as a tribute to guitar as “objet d’art”. The materials used in the construction were those that may have well found their way into the my fantasy instrument; a lovely pommele sapele, highly figured maple, solid mahogany and even some abalone shell detailing.The curves running between the doors are evocative of those in the body of a guitar. And, of course, the sound hole…
The interior is set up conceivably as a dry bar (musicians!), with two half depth adjustable shelves and a shallow drawer for storage of accessories. At this writing, the piece is on display at the Vermont State House, but it is for sale. It would set you back about the cost of a nice custom acoustic guitar…
Time to practice.”
Visit Dave Boynton’s PORTFOLIO for additional examples of his work or to reach him by email. Come along for a visit to his STUDIO.
Tour OUR SITE for work by other members, or for galleries of custom furniture sorted by function.
