Luthierie: The Art of Building Classical Guitars

David Edwards holds a BA from the University of Michigan in Germanic Languages and Literature (1974), but is really more of an engineer who has spent his whole career working in software development. Currently he owns and operates a company that produces and sells software used by museums and archives to manage collections. He has used music and guitar building as a wonderful balance to the rigors and worries of running a small business. In the late 80's he moved from Michigan to beautiful Charlottesville, Virginia in order to live closer to his parents and the mountains, and to start his software company. At that time he also started to play classical guitar more seriously and began bringing in world-renowned classical guitarists for local performances. These skilled players have challenged and inspired him both in playing and building guitars. Most of them have stayed at his home which has given him the opportunity to know these fine musicians as friends. As a luthier, he focuses his efforts on guitars made in the style of the early 19th-century guitar builders. David and his wife Janice have three grown children, five grandchildren, and one more grandchild on the way. They live on a small horse farm just outside of Charlottesville.