In our continuing series on featuring guitar luthiers, Musicians Hotline is honored to introduce you to Kevin Brubaker of Brubaker Guitars. What a treat it is to bring you this story on these incredible guitars and basses. From the revolutionary interchangeable pre-amp module to the finest necks you will find anywhere, Brubaker Guitars are truly a masterpiece of the art. Here is what Kevin Brubaker shared with Musicians Hotline.

MH: Kevin, give us a brief history of how you got your start in building guitars.
KB: I was introduced to music at a very young age, starting with piano and then trumpet. When I discovered the bass in about 10th or 11th grade, I started playing more, at the time I thought it was much cooler! I've always had the mechanical tinkering thing in my blood, so when my first teacher let me borrow his Gibson EB bass, I pulled it apart and gave it an overhaul. Eventually I got enough money to buy a Vantage bass and soon hacked into that one - I did a paint job and reshaped the body, then moved on to a Kramer and did the same thing. I never bought another bass!

I got into playing professionally full time for a while, then cut back to part time. When I got married, I moved from York, PA to Maryland, hoping to work more in the field of music. I ended up getting a construction job! Anyway, it was on that job that I was able to work with some tools I didn't have at the time to make some of my first prototypes. I built anywhere I possibly could - I recall I had to trash a TV set and some other furniture items because I was spraying on the terrace of my apartment and had to leave the sliding door open for the compressor line - oops!

From that point I started field-testing on the weekend gigs. I got into it deeper and deeper, prototype after prototype (most of which are hanging up on the shop wall at this point), making improvements and adjustments using input from some very good local players. I was very inspired by the success story of Paul Smith's company, PRS. Paul took the time to discuss the ups and downs of the industry with me over lunch, and I was motivated to push on.

MH: What and when did the very first Brubaker model make its way to the marketplace?
KB: I believe 1990 was the year I actually started making a few bass guitar sales in the local market place. I slowly and steadily increased the sales by word of mouth... and still kept my day job. It was a great feeling when I made a sale or when I saw someone on stage playing one of my instruments.

MH: When did Brubaker Guitars officially open for business and start accepting custom orders?
KB: I incorporated the business officially as Brubaker Guitars, Inc. in the year 1999, then started seeking dealers and taking on custom orders. I found a good rep and went out with him to take orders from music stores in the surrounding area. I moved on from that, getting business on my own, and eventually hooked up with a very creative, unique and intelligent individual who said "Hey, I bet I could sell 100 of your instruments in the next year!" Surprisingly enough, he did - well..98 to be exact. This was the start of our Internet business, which has increased the brand name awareness greatly, but don't let that get to your head, Leroy! (He is our sales director and Webmaster.)

MH: Tell us about the different model of guitars you manufacture and briefly describe each.
KB: We currently have two body designs we produce, the B-2 and the K-4. The B-2 shape is a little towards the classic or traditional looking guitar design, a double cutaway. The K-4 is the other side, the single cutaway. Both guitars come in a Standard, Custom or Xtreme model. The Standard has a one piece body mahogany, ash, Catalpa (similar to Alder)-maple neck and 22 fret fingerboard (dot inlays), fixed bridge chrome, locking tuners- chrome, 2 humbuckers with a solid or a one color translucent finish, price - $1500.00 retail. The Custom steps up with 5A quilt or flame top over a mahogany or Catalpa body, maple or mahogany neck with an ebony, rosewood or birdseye fingerboard -22 or 24 fret (dot inlays), matching headstock laminate. It has two humbuckers (customers choice of select brand name, Duncan, Bartolini or Lindy Fralin, with coil tap) Point Technologies Tremolo bridge (chrome) or Hipshot Fixed bridge (chrome). Sperzel locking Tuners (chrome) and a variety of translucent colors- retail price-$2500.00. On the Xtreme models we book match and use the fancy woods over the entire face of the instrument (an overall theme if you will) and do some special inlay work etc. The price could go from $4000.00 on up to $8000.00 depending what the customer wants on it. With the Custom and Xtreme models the customer has upgrade options, natural binding, semi hollow with F-hole, different wood choices etc. We have also added an Xtreme Spalted maple guitar, which can get pretty bizarre, as we like to put on our Picasso attire and just go to town all over the place on them. Call for market price. Each instrument is strung with SIT strings and comes in a custom TKL hardshell case with a velvet lined molded interior to fit the instrument's shape precisely.

MH: What do you feel is unique about Brubaker Guitars and where do you feel you're niche lies in today's high-end marketplace?
KB: There are so many great builders out there doing incredible work and quite honestly it's scary! We feel there is a combination of things going on with a Brubaker that makes it unique. Number one, the neck joint is a mix of a neck thru and a bolt on which was on the very first instrument ever built, so it goes back 20 some years. It is very labor intensive to make, but in the end, no matter what wood or pickup combinations are used, there is an underlying resonant tone about the instruments that is consistently the same. So, when asked if it sounds like a Fender, Gibson or a PRS etc., I say no, it sounds like a Brubaker- yes, you can get similar tones but fresh ones, with a little Bru ha ha!! I have tried to break out of the traditional mold to some degree, Xtreme fingerboards, Point Tech tremolo bridge with compression spring tension, interchangeable module system, etc. We offer a lot of bang for the buck in terms of craftsmanship, high quality parts but it goes way beyond that. I try to make sure the end user is extremely happy no matter what the cost. It is not an easy thing to do but I know that it sets us apart in the marketplace. We have just begun to scratch the surface as we have even more cool innovations around the corner.

MH: Who would you consider to be a typical Brubaker Guitar customer?
KB: All those players out there that have been continually searching for the ultimate guitar, one that sounds and plays as good as it looks.

MH: Tell us a bit about your facility and key employees.
KB: We operate out of about a 2000 sq. ft. space in a building located in Westminster MD. All the instruments start as rough slabs of wood and are painstakingly machined by hand, using templates and pin routers. It is a fairly accurate system we have but I still stress to all in the shop to continually use the eyes to ensure everything is straight and symmetrical the entire way through the process. Many of our tools have been custom made or modified to accomplish certain tasks accurately and efficiently (i.e.-24 fret fingerboard slotting saw, fingerboard radius sander, custom neck router bits, etc.). I handle all the business related issues and am involved with overseeing every part of the production of the instruments. I also tend to be in the spray booth and the assembly room quite a bit. David DeMarco is the chief design, prototype and production engineer. Brian Burton and Darren Schillaci are the production managers. These guys do an amazing job in handling many tasks in the shop from start to finish.

MH:Brubaker also custom builds high-end basses. Briefly describe what models you offer?
KB: We have two bass models that are similar in design to the guitar models. The NBS, which takes on a classic bass shape and the K-4 B, which is an extended single cut. Both are available with 4, 5 and 6 strings in either a Standard, Custom or Xtreme model. Price points range from $1650.00 on a 4 string standard on up. We also have the new Spalted Xtreme XS models for bass.

MH: Your revolutionary patent pending interchangeable preamp module is very interesting. Tell us a bit more about this concept.
KB: The initial concept behind the module was to allow bass players to exchange and entire preamp unit with a different one of another brand (wiring harness, pots, knobs, input jack and electronic components) with the push of a button. Thirteen years later, my colleague David DeMarco (who was instrumental in the concept and development) and I realized that this module had much greater potential for other applications (guitars included), such as built-in effects, midi capabilities, and so on. The player could even keep a spare on hand if a jack or pot went bad and change it out in the middle of a song if necessary. The module makes quite a bit of sense when you think in terms of costly add ons/upgrades or repairs down the road!

MH: Tell us about your impressive endorser list and how they became Brubaker endorser's.
KB: The players include Skip Dorsey (guitar) and Freddie Mollings (bass), who have played their Brubakers on Britney Spears tours all over the world. Skip was introduced to the product through Kevin Walker, a long time endorser of Brubaker basses, who has also played with an impressive list of nationally known artists. Through my sales director, Leroy Smith, I was introduced to Kenny Vaughan, a Nashville session ace, songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire with many top country acts. These are but a few of the many artists, both local and national, who are using Brubaker instruments. My thanks go out to all of them!

MH: Do you currently only offer instruments direct from Brubaker? And how many instruments do you produce on a monthly basis?
KB: No, we also sell through music stores in the U.S. and are looking for new dealers as well. Check our website, www.brubakerguitars.com, for current dealers. At the present time, we are producing approx. 14 instruments per month, but are looking to double that number in the next
year and a half or so.

MH: In closing Kevin, what do you feel has attributed to the success of Brubaker Guitars & Basses? Where do you see your company continuing to evolve in the future?
KB: My company would not be where it is today without the support and encouragement from my wife of 17 + years, who has to put up with me on a daily basis, who lives and breathes guitars as well. The commitment, hard work and loyalty of my employees have also contributed to the success of the company, as the product continually evolves with their input, innovations and improvements. Everyone at the company is 100% committed to making and selling the finest handcrafted instruments available.

I'm sure there will be many challenges ahead, but I have total confidence in the product and in the company's ability to compete on a major level.

Brubaker Guitars
900 Liedy Road
Westminster, MD 21157
410-857-7600
www.brubakerguitars.com

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