After seeing plans to make a flat top fiddle in a woodworker's journal, retired educator Neil Peterson went from building cabinets to making musical instruments. The Bandera resident's guitars are available at Hill Country Music in Fredericksburg. Photo by Phil Houseal

Details:
Neil Peterson's handmade guitars can be viewed, played, and purchased at Hill Country Music in Fredericksburg. You can also learn more online at www.hillcountrylutherie.com or by calling 830-796-3932.

webmaster: phil@fullhouseproductions.net

Neil Peterson:
Guitars that glorify

by Phil Houseal
Sept 6, 2006

Neil Peterson's first attempt at building a musical instrument was so bad, even thieves wouldn't steal it.

"Two violins were taken," Peterson said of the unfortunate burglary. "But the scoundrels must have figured the flat top was homemade, because they left it behind."

That was back in 1992. Today, people are paying top dollar to carry off his handcrafted instruments.

The building bug bit the retired high school coach when he saw plans for making a flat top fiddle in a woodworking magazine. He gathered up scrap cypress, birch, and pine, and put it together. Peterson was already a dab hand at woodworking, having made his living at cabinetry since 1983. But his first attempt at making a musical instrument fell short of his expectations. For one thing, he didn't know how to play.

"It was awful music," he admitted. "I didn't even have any idea how to tune the thing."

After music lessons to cure the playing, and 35 instruments later, Peterson is carving his niche at Hill Country Lutherie.

Peterson's philosophy is to stick with proven designs while dabbling with different woods.

"I don't experiment a whole lot with basic construction," he said, showing me around his very small workshop that was jammed with patterns, molds, tools, and wood. "I trust in the people who have developed this through the years: what they've come up with, works."

He currently is enamored of a wood very familiar to Texans - mesquite.

"Woods really make a difference from instrument to instrument, and mesquite makes a nice guitar," he said, as he applied fine grit sandpaper to his current project. "People love the looks of it, but I think it makes a great sounding guitar. It is very comparable to rosewood in density. To my untrained ear, it sounds pretty close to maple. Plus, there is a market for it in Texas."

Peterson characterizes his violins and guitars as thicker than most, creating a bigger, "bassier" tone.

"Players around here are into country music, and they want that heavy, bass sound," he said. "The guys at Hill Country Music have been really helpful steering me toward what people are looking for these days. They critique every instrument I make, and that helps me tremendously."

Peterson's guitars are unique in another way.

"I've tried to build a solid guitar out of interesting woods," he explained. "But when I started I really felt the Lord was telling me 'if you want to do this, do it in a way that glorifies me.'"

That is why Peterson inlays the ichthys - fish - symbol in every guitar. He also is gratified that many of his guitars find their way into the hands of Christian musicians such as Steve Green.

"It is very humbling that my guitars are used to make music for the Lord," he said.

Peterson paused in his sanding.

"It amazes me - the whole concept of sound coming from a box with strings on it - that somebody conceived of the idea and along the way kept improving on it," he said. "I get excited when it comes to the point where you put the strings on and it makes music. It still just awes me how that works."

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