Tim Reede Guitars

As a child in the sixties I remember hearing music that opened a whole new dimension of expression. Bands like Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix and Crosby Stills Nash and Young. This attraction has led me to work with music for much of my life. In high school I worked with a mobile sound system that traveled to small towns for schools dances. With money earned, I bought a used electric guitar. As I grew older I worked as a DJ for a radio station and a college nightclub. In 1986 I went to school at the Recording Workshop in Ohio and studied sound engineering. When I moved to Minneapolis I worked as a music buyer for a record store called The Electric Fetus. I formed a band in 1988 and began modifying guitars for myself and others, trying to make guitars play and sound better. In 1997 I graduated from the cabinetmaking program at Minnesota State College Minneapolis Technical. I worked as a professional craftsman for over twenty years. During that time my work appeared in publications including Architectural Digest, on the cover of Midwest Home magazine, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, and on the TV show "Home Time". I began thinking about making an acoustic guitar. In 2004 that urge led me to the guitar building and repair program at Southeast Technical College in Red Wing, Minnesota. Looking back it seems that all of the experiences of the past were necessary steps for me to becoming a Luthier. It really has combined my skills as a woodworker with a passion for music. In 2015 I began a teaching role at the Southeast Technical College guitar construction program where I was once a student. During the past twelve years I have exhibited at the Healdsburg Guitar Festival in California, the Montreal Guitar Show, the Memphis Acoustic Guitar Festival, The Santa Barbara Acoustic Instrument Celebration, The Woodstock Invitational Luthier’s Showcase and the Newport Guitar Festival in Rhode Island and Miami Florida, where I contributed to the Blue Electric guitar exhibit, a tribute to the late Scott Chinery and the first Blue Guitar collection. This latest collection featured all blue electric guitars. I have also contributed to The Art of the Guitar exhibit in 2009 at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota which featured guitars from independent luthiers as well as guitars of historic significance. My work has been featured in a book by Michael Heatley called "Guitar" and a book by John Fellman called "Meeting the Makers, Minnesota's Finest Guitar Builders". In 2016 I organized a new instrument exhibit called the Twin Cities Acoustic Guitar Show that featured instrument builders and performers from the region. My goal is to create instruments that are beautiful, have amazing sound quality and are a joy to play. When it comes to guitar construction you could say I am a traditionalist. There is not much difference between how instruments were made years ago and how I make them now. I use hot hide glue because it is acoustically transparent. It dries very hard, allowing vibrations to transfer cleanly. I enjoy the diversity of the guitar family which is why I make a variety of instruments. From historic designs to guitars with modern features, each has its strengths and purpose.