National Woodworking Month Woodworker Spotlight: Martin Fair

A few miles from my shop, off of  Harpers Ferry Road in Loudoun County is a shop near the top of a mountain ridge that separates "Between the Hills" from the Loudoun Valley. The shop is owned and operated by Martin Fair (pictured to the right above) who along with Stuart Orser (Pictured above left) build some of the most beautiful instruments ever created. The company is called Fairbuilt Guitar Company and a link to their website and Facebook page (which I urge you to visit) are located at the bottom of this post.

I have known Marty for about 25 years and during this time played music with him in what was once a collective groupe of musicians called the Furnace Mountain Band. As the years rolled on, Marty went off to school at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix, Arizona. When he returned, he was armed with the skills and tools of a Luthier and he has never looked back. Since then his shop and business have continued to grow and today Marty and Stuart are regularly turning out instruments with grace and beauty, not to mention great tone.

One of the first things that drew me to these instruments is Marty's command of the art of inlay. The intricate inlays that adorn the fretboards and headstocks of his instruments are flawless. Together Marty and Stu are building instruments of the highest standard and best quality as can be seen in the photos below. If you are in the market for a stringed instrument (or have one on need of repair as I often do) Fairbuilt Guitar Company should be your first stop.

http://www.fairbuilt.com/index.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fairbuilt-Guitar-Co/394522142052