Mark Stefani has been my long time guitar coach. He’s a remarkable teacher with an amazing depth of material from which he works, trained in classical guitar but with a deep knowledge of blues and jazz, having transcribed thousands of pieces by such luminaries as George Benson, Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, B.B. King and many others. Please check out his website, one of the most comprehensive guitar and bass instructional sites on the web at www.visionmusic.com.
Stephen Holst is a wonderful luthier based just outside of Corvallis, Oregon. His craftsmanship is exacting, elevated to the level of art, and the guitars he produces are exquisite in both their visual esthetics, their playability and their beautiful tone. His website is www.pacifico.com
Miche Fambro is a great vocalist and guitarist who has become a friend of mine. His technique on guitar is highly unusual–perhaps even singular–in that he is left handed but plays a right handed guitar simply turned end-for-end without restringing such that the bass strings are on the bottom and the treble on the top. I always feel a bit disoriented when watching him play and mystified as to how anyone could become so accomplished with this–relatively speaking–backwards and upside-down method…yet always entertained and enthralled by his artistry. You can find his website here.