The NightOwl Story
I've been playing music for over 50 years.
It's not just something I do - it's part of who I am.
I started out as a classically trained brass player, but growing up in the 70s and 80s shaped my musical ambitions in a different direction. When I was 18, I picked up my first electric guitar — and everything changed.
From that moment on, the electric guitar became my primary outlet for creativity and self-expression. It has also been my escape valve over the years — the place I go when life gets a little bumpy and I need to clear my head.
Like many guitar players, I quickly realized that the relationship between a player and their instrument matters a lot.
I know how personal a guitar can be to its owner, and every instrument that comes through the NightOwl bench is treated with the same care and attention I give my own guitars.
My Journey
When I decided to get really serious about guitar, I stepped up and bought my first “real” instrument — a Kramer Focus with a Floyd Rose tremolo.
I loved that guitar.
But it felt like I was constantly fighting it.
The action was high, chords were harder than they should have been, and I remember digging my fingers into the fretboard and grinding the strings on the frets out of frustration. I eventually took it in for a professional setup, and for a short while it played better… but before long I was right back to battling the guitar again.
That experience planted a seed.
Learning the Craft
Instead of continuing the cycle of frustration, I decided to learn how to do the work myself.
What started as simple adjustments turned into a long-term pursuit of understanding how guitars really work — neck relief, action, intonation, pickup height, electronics, and the countless small details that make the difference between a guitar that plays and one that truly feels right.
Over the years my collection of guitars has grown, and every instrument in it has been carefully dialed in, modified, or rebuilt to match my own playing style and tone preferences. I’ve even completed a couple of custom builds along the way.
Through that process I discovered something important:
Small adjustments can completely transform how a guitar feels in your hands.
If you’re curious, you can see more of the guitars in my collection in the Gallery.
Why NightOwl GuitarWorks Exists
After more than 30 years in a professional career outside of the music industry, I reached a point where it was time to dedicate my work life to the thing that has always been closest to my heart — guitars and the music they make possible.
NightOwl GuitarWorks was created to help other players avoid the same frustrations I experienced years ago.
Because the truth is, many guitars are capable of playing far better than they currently do. Sometimes they just need the right attention, the right adjustments, and a little patience on the bench.
When a guitar is set up properly, everything changes.
It becomes easier to play.
More responsive.
More inspiring.
And when that happens, you stop fighting the instrument and start focusing on what really matters:
making music.