Jim took up the hobby of guitar building with the aid of two 72 year old retirees he met in January of 2001. They helped him build his first instrument, a Walnut/Sitka dreadnought with cutaway.

With regard to construction materials and techniques, he followed Cumpiano's book pretty much, with some deviations as necessary.

Jim's #1 guitar, is Walnut and Sitka, curly Koa bindings, green white purflings (body), green abalone rosette with black/white purfling, ebony fingerboard with Paua dot markers, Walnut with maple and ebony veneer overlays on the headstock, Koa tail wedge, and gold Gotoh tuners. Standard X bracing. Spruce bracing and kerfing.