A week or so ago, I had the honor of attending an exhibition at the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, MA–“The Art of Guitar Building: An Evening with Steve Klein & Steve Kauffman.” What an amazingly beautiful array of guitars were on display in four different rooms of the Custom House, spanning a career of almost fifty years by innovative guitar makers Steve Klein and his longtime luthier partner Steve Kauffman.
When I introduced myself as biographer of Carleen Hutchins, Steve Klein jumped a bit in place, grabbed my hand, and said: “Thank you for your work! I had a mountain to climb as an innovator in guitar-making–but at least there was some openness in the guitar field. Carleen had an entirely different–and much tougher–mountain to climb–innovation was much more difficult in the violin world!”
One of the highlights of my evening was trading books with Steve Klein–American Luthier: Carleen Hutchins–the Art and Science of the Violin for Art That Sings: The Life and Times of Luthier Steve Klein, authored by Paul Schmidt, but signed by its subject–master guitar designer and maker Steve Klein. 