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John S. Kinnard
is half owner and master luthier at Dell'Arte Instruments. He grew up
in San Diego's north county during the sixties. California in that era
was an especially fertile environment for those with a creative spirit.
It was during that time that John first began building stringed instruments.
Later in the seventies, John and his then business partner, Peter Webster
(now owner of Guitar-O-Rama music store in Oakland, CA) owned Heritage
Guitar Works, located in Clovis, CA. While there, he also learned how
to restore vintage stringed instruments. He took a sabbatical from guitar
making and repairs during the late 1980's and became involved in the
jewelry business. John credits that time spent fabricating jewelry and
cutting precious stones as helping to further hone his guitar making
skills. For a period of four years in the early 1990's John worked for
Taylor Guitars, applying his knowledge and skills in the body department.
In 1996, in quest of more artistic freedom, John opened a small shop
under the name of Finegold Guitars and Mandolins.
 In 1998, John met
Alain Cola, a Frenchman living in the US for twenty years. Alain, a
long time jazz guitarist (in the style of the Hot Club of France) with
a lifetime passion for Selmer/Maccaferri type guitars, was dealing in
tone woods and musical instrument parts. Under the Dell'Arte Instruments
brand, Alain had copies of Selmer/Maccaferri guitars and other instruments
made in Mexico. Expanding his clientele of musical instrument dealers
all over the world, Alain found himself in need of better workmanship
for his guitars. In October 1998, Finagled Guitars and Mandolins and
Dell'Arte Instruments merged. As of May 1999 all production of Mexican
made instruments was stopped.
Nowadays, Dell'Arte
Instruments offers a full array of stringed musical instruments finely
handcrafted in our shop with the best materials. If you have the opportunity,
pick one up at one of Dell'Arte's dealers, look at it, play it, listen
to it . . . Discover the quality of a genuine artistic pursuit.
For more info contact
Alain Cola.
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