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Ron Pinkham Hello, my name is Ron Pinkham, owner and shop-master of Woodsound Studio. To understand what our shop is about, I would like to fill you in on some personal information. I began my musical career as a youth on the violin and after a stint on the bongos in my early teens, I switched to the nylon string guitar. I first found the Flamenco style guitar, which I played exclusively in the early 60's, but found my listening habits focusing on classical music and soon found a love for the classical guitar. I then embarked on a more formal study with an ambition towards performance and teaching. My formal training began in the middle 60's in the Boston area, and then with Manual Ramos in Mexico City and finally with the Romero family in Southern California where I attended the University of California, Santa Barbara Upon completion of my studies, in 1975, I returned to my hometown of Lincolnville, Maine. Deciding against a career as a road musician, and knowing the difficulties of finding a first class concert instrument, I embarked on my career as a teacher and builder-restorer of stringed instruments and founded Woodsound Studio. I first focused on the classic guitar, but again I found my focus broadening to include all members of the stringed instrument families, especially the orchestral family. I became fascinated with the bow and to this day they are one of my great loves. The history and art of the violin family have sustained and fulfilled my need to constantly learn and to use the ears and years I've spent as a musician. Today I run and play first chair in the Cameron Guitar Quartet, still teach and have a 7 year old violinist daughter who I try to play with an hour a day and marvel at the facility of children given care, love, attention and music.
THE WOODSOUND STUDIO
The studio has grown from its start in my living room through a variety of buildings and storefronts, to its current 4,200 square foot home. The Woodsound building itself lies nestled in the hillside above Clam Cove in the hamlet of Glen Cove, a small seaside borough of Rockport, Maine (Visit Camden Rockport Lincolnville Maine) (Recreation in Midcoast Maine...the Rockland Area).
The first floor is comprised of teaching studios and acoustic instrument showrooms, selling restored vintage, as well as new fretted and orchestral stringed instruments and bows. We are an unusual shop in that we do all manner of both fretted and orchestral sales and work. This cross over has taught us the value of both schools of thought.
THE WORKSHOP
Up the stairs you will enter the repair and restoration room, where we do all manor of fretted (Josh) and orchestral work (John) as well as bow restoration and rehair (Ron). We, of course, are all experts in multiple fields but tend to fall into these broad categories in daily practice. The position will be mostly working with John, with tutelage and lectures by Ron. Our set goals for you will be an acceptable bridge, post and fingerboard profile as well as a proper cleaning and French polishing. You will not be limited to student instruments, even from the beginning, but you must reach the point of doing this work with no major overseeing, to begin to work on customer work. We own over 100 instruments of all quality ranges (up to $50,000) that you will be working on. In the summer we are the shop for many of the high end professionals who play at the Bay Chamber concerts, Kniesel Hall (Julliard Summer) and Pierre Monteaux school of conducting. We regularly see and maintain old Italian masterpieces and a broad range of instruments from around the world. The Machine Room We have all of the major tools found in a modern woodworking shop (including a dupe carver and thickness sander) and although we expect a large amount of the trades work to be done by hand, we also recognize that in today's world machine assisted work can save a lot of time and help make the trade pay a living wage. All tools and shop space will be available to you on your off time and you can make and tool up any instrument you would like. Humidity Control & Assembly
All new instrument construction, wood storage and critical repair assemblies occur in our humidity controlled room to insure an optimum life span. Our Goals for You! Our goal for you, is to find this to be a fine place to live, with satisfying work that will make you want to put down your roots and stay with us for many, many years. The reason we are here and not in the city is the quality of life for ourselves and our children. Weather you are an apprentice with one or two years of schooling or a more experienced journeyman or even a master, we will welcome you to the shop, make a place for you, teach you our skills and offer you an horizon to build on my 25 years in the business. If you would like to apply for the position please respond with a vita, two letters of recommendation and a completed violin, viola or cello bridge ready to fit on your instrument (These will be returned promptly). We can be reached by e-mail at wdsound@midcoast.com or snail mail at PO Box 245 Glen Cove, ME 04846, Telephone 1-800-696-8082. The Staff
Erin Michael is our keep them all together person, doing all the front end business of ordering, paying bills and making us look pretty. She was home schooled, smart and as nice as nice can be, she will make all our questions and problems disappear. She and her family live here in Warren after a "cultural move" to the midcoast from Gray where she was born.
The Woodsound building is located on Route 1 in Glen
Cove, Maine. 1103
Commercial Street - P.O. Box 245, Glen Cove, Maine 04846 |
John Blodgett attended Boston University's historical
instrument program, an experienced builder and restorer, joined the
staff in 1989. John is a mandolin maker who has brought his carved panel
expertise to the shop and where he has spent the last 18 years honing his
orchestral instrument skills. He is now the head orchestral restorer and a
partner.
Ryan Condon Came to me as a young man, hanging out, playing our guitars and asking lots of questions, the most important was, "Will you train me to be a luthier." A hard time traditional student, he had worked in the resturant business from dishwasher to cook and the word on the street was "smart", 7 years later he has proved to be one of my best young talents and my right hand as a builder.