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651-766-8757

jwblilie   at    barbarossa-guitars.com


Your Luthier:  Jim Blilie

 

I love to make guitars.  I am a fingerstyle player who plays many

different styles of music.  I have only been playing guitar for about

15 years; but I love it; and I work pretty hard at it.  I can now play many

enjoyable pieces such as "Here Comes the Sun," "Gymnopedie No. 1"

(Parkening arrangement), and many fingerstyle and blues songs, etc.

 

I love to play and build guitars.

 

See how I build guitars here:

Steel String Guitar Construction

Classical Guitar Construction

Guitar Set-up

 

These may also be of interest:

Violin construction
Major Modifications

Building a Les Paul kit

 

 

I come from a background of engineering:  I was a structural analysis

engineer for many years at Boeing and also worked for the FAA

and for a civil engineering firm.  I now work for Boston Scientific, making

heart pace-makers and implantable defibrillators.  I am a reasonably accomplished

amateur landscape photographer.  I love visual arts and I have done plenty

of drawing and painting.  I love good writing and I write regularly.

 

My Published Articles:


     

 

My article, The Guitar As a Structure, was published in January 2009 in American Lutherie #100,

the journal of the Guild of American Luthiers.

You can read it here (their published version has better graphics!)

 

My article, Wood Stiffness: An Analysis of a Substantial Sample of Woods of Interest to Guitar Makers,  

written with fellow luthier Alan Carruth, was published in March 2016 in American Lutherie #125,

the journal of the Guild of American Luthiers.

You can read it here (their published version has better graphics!)

 

My article, Proposed Standard Glue Strength Testing Method, was published in June 2016 in American Lutherie #126,

the journal of the Guild of American Luthiers.

You can read it here (their published version has better graphics!)

 

 

I bring a firm understanding of structure and design and a well

trained aesthetic eye and ear to guitar building.  I love good tone.

 

I have a passion to build guitars that look, feel, play, and sound great.

If you check my testimonials page, I think you'll find that my customers

agree that I achieve those goals.  You can also listen to my guitars

at the sound clips page.

 

Having me build you a custom guitar will likely be a dream come true.

If you want something unusual in your guitar, for instance a particular

neck width or shape, or a particular combination of woods, I can make

that dream come true.



Please call me at 651-766-8757  or email my at

jwblilie (at) barbarossa-guitars.com

if I can answer any questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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© 2015, James W. Blilie, Barbarossa Guitars                        5997 Turtle Lake Road, Shoreview, MN 55126                        This page was last updated:  31-Aug-2016