Hey there.
My name is Jesse. I grew up in Whitney Point, NY on my grandfather’s Christmas tree farm.
When I was 8 years old, my parents decided to purchase music lessons for me. They asked me what instrument I wanted to learn; I chose violin. After calling the first name in the phone book, the teacher said she only accepts ages “9 and above.” Disgruntled at my parents’ failure to conceive me a few months earlier, I chose guitar, vaguely familiar with the instrument fooling around with my mother’s Alvarez. My parents happily called the number in the phone book closest to our home; quite literally over the hill behind my house.
I took guitar lessons from Kevin LaDue of LaDue Music for 8 years. A local public educator, he also happened to run a workshop at his house building guitars. The lucky kids at Vestal High School were offered a semester shop education where, under Mr. LaDue’s tutelage, students would complete the construction of an acoustic guitar.
At the time, I wanted to go to college for music. Mr. LaDue more or less kicked me out of his music studio, indicating that I should find another teacher to broaden my classical music education. After all, our “lessons” turned into several hours of jamming and hanging out - a teacher turned friend. But I couldn’t stay away; I would head down to his house my junior and senior years of high school and watch him build guitars for hours.
After one afternoon watching him sand a radius onto a set of guitar rims, he explained to me the domed geometry of the steel stringed acoustic guitar, a measurement I never knew existed before. I was amazed. If memory serves, it was right there when I blurted out, “can you teach me how to build a guitar?” He answered after an uncharacteristic hesitation, “let me put some serious thought into this.” (After a few thousand hours of blood, sweat, and tears - and the thinning out of my wallet - I now understand that slight hesitation; he was considering protecting me from from this addictive disease)!
Not an hour after I arrived home, he called and told me to come the following week, prepared with a “sharp pencil and some safety glasses.” I did so for the following 8 years, and still to this day. Man…I’m the luckiest kid in the world.
I operate Carousel Guitar Company as the sole luthier. I welcome you to peruse my website and blog for available services and instruments.
Each guitar is handmade one at a time here in Binghamton, NY. A part of the Southern Tier Triple Cities, we are known as the Carousel Capital of the World.
I’ve been inspired by the history of this area for quite some time. Home of several hallmark businesses, like Dicks Sporting Goods, IBM, Link Aviation, I’ve seen my city undergo tremendous change as these businesses leave, or return as is the case with Dicks.
But my favorite business of all - and credited for my company’s namesake - is the Endicott Johnson shoe factory. Responsible for the manufacture of all boots worn by American WWII soldiers, George F Johnson was a benevolent businessman and leader of my city.
He donated 6 carousels to the Triple Cities, only charging a “piece of litter.” George F. believed that these carousels would benefit mankind by encouraging a happier life for all youngsters. These machines surely make for the worlds greatest entertainment bargain.
Like these carousels that turn around and around again and again, I hope that your Carousel Guitar will provide you many revolutions of enjoyment, decades and generations down the road.
