MH: Tell us about your early musical influences.
Zion: Growing up in the 60's exposed me to a wide variety of music styles, which I really enjoyed. All the 50's era rock & roll was still very much alive and then we had the California surfer craze all mixed up with the British invasion. I just took it all in and didn't have a particular preference one way or another. I remember watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show and getting their single, "I want to Hold Your Hand". I took it to school and played it for my 4th grade class.

The music of the late 60's and early 70's were a big influence and I especially liked the Allman Brothers. Other music I listened to: Lynyrd Skynyrd, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Mountain, Black Oak Arkansas, The Band, the Stones, the Dead, the list goes on and on. I never really settled on a particular style or band that I listened to a lot. Most music sounds good to me if it's done well. I appreciate an artists' ability and energy more than the songs they happen to be playing. I keep coming back to the Allman brothers a lot and if I could play like Duane Allman did, I'd be on the road for sure.

MH: At what age did you start playing and tinkering with guitars?
Zion: I got my first guitar when I was 14 or 15. It was an acoustic and I don't remember the brand but it played ok for what it was. I ended up sanding it down and refinishing it a couple years later. That's when I learned that spar varnish isn't the best thing to put on a guitar. I also re-strung it with nylon strings, which made the guitar (and my fingers) much happier.

My first electric came when I was 16. Another no-brand, no frills instrument, but it didn't play too badly and sounded pretty nice through the Harmony amp I got later. Having reverb helped the sound of the guitar and my attempts to play Hendrix tunes. I had that electric less than two months before I pulled it apart to see what it was all about. I had to lower the action and didn't have a clue as to what I was doing, but was aware enough of the instrument to know that whatever I did in one area would affect something else, somewhere, though I didn't know what or where. In the end, I managed to get it playing fairly respectfully but it took a long time tweak the nut, lower the bridge, check the neck (I didn't know what relief was), then do the whole thing over again.

MH: Do you recall your first good guitar, and did this influence your decision to become a luthier?
Zion: My first really nice guitar was a '72 Gold Top Les Paul. It was way more guitar than I could play at the time but it was a Paul and it sounded great through a Twin that I got that same year. I used to jam with a friend in Wilmington, Jimbo Fox, who had a Les Paul/Twin combination and we'd play those Twins wide open about 10 feet apart. That was a great time. I couldn't find fault with that Gold Top. The craftsmanship was superb and the set-up was immaculate. I kick myself regularly for letting it go. I was working at a music store in Wilmington, NC at the time and was the only guy in the shop that could work on guitars. It was a challenge, but most of what I did managed to satisfy the clientele. The thing that helped the most was the guy that used to do all the repairs for the store came in two or three times and showed me how to handle the more complicated repairs. That was my first real exposure to the relationships between the nut, relief, string height and intonation.

MH: Can you recall the first guitar you built or modified?
Zion: The first real repair I did was on a Haagstrom 12-string. When I got it, it was in pieces and had to be put back together. The neck holes were completely stripped out and had to be filled before I could get the neck to bolt up again. Once again I was back to trial and error; where I lived in southeastern North Carolina, there wasn't anybody I could go to for advice. I managed to get it together but the only strings I could find were light gauge acoustic strings and it would hardly play at all. I ended up pulling the octave strings off and playing it as a 6-string until I was introduced to Ernie Ball strings. A set of Slinkys made it play like butter. Not long after that, I installed a set of Gibson humbuckers and it was a pretty decent guitar.

The first guitar I built didn't come until much later. The company I was working for at the time sent me to Louisiana to manage a pharmaceutical plant just outside Baton Rouge. It was a temporary assignment that kept me away from home for over a year. I set up a little shop in the garage of my apartment and built a respectable Strat copy that I still play. The neighbors never complained even though I did a lot of my router work late in the evening. That was a fun project and turned out to be the determining factor in my decision to pursue this full time.

MH: Do you recall when the Zion trademark appeared on the first official headstock?
Zion: The first Zion guitars hit the street in 1980. The headstock was very similar to another manufacturers' headstock which lasted until the Zion design made its official debut in 1983. The headstock shape hasn't changed but we went to a tilt-back design about five years ago that really improved the performance of these guitars.

MH: When and where did Zion Guitars officially open as a business?
Zion: Mr. Ken Hoover founded Zion Guitars in 1980. Ken worked from 1974 - 1980 for other builders and doing repairs when he decided to strike out on his own. His commitment right from the beginning was to design and build a better instrument than those available off-the-shelf. Also the company was firmly grounded in commitment to customer service. That commitment to quality and customer service remains very much alive in our company today. Ken and his team did a fabulous job and delivered four or five thousand guitars since 1980. Zion is well known in the industry and has a well-deserved reputation for delivering quality instruments because of Ken's efforts.

MH: How many current models do you build today?
Zion: At the moment we do three body styles that, with variations, make up six models. We have a traditional single-cutaway that's available as a solid-body called the Fifty, and a thin-line version of that guitar called the ninety. The double cutaway comes in a solid ash/alder/mahogany body and is called the Radicaster. That same guitar with a bent maple top is known as the Bent T and the top-of-the line instrument in this style is the carved-top Classic. Our premier instrument is a single-cutaway, set neck design called the Primera. The block of burl maple that Ken is holding in the picture is destined to go on a Primera like the one in the cover photo. A client in L.A. saw that picture and wanted one just like it, so we're building two out of that burl slab.

MH: How many guitars are produced on a monthly basis?
Zion: We're tooled adequately to manage about 10 guitars per week in this facility. Our output is not up to that level yet, but we're adding staff as required to keep up with sales demand. I'm recruiting for another luthier at the moment.

MH: Tell us about your facility and how many employees do you have?
Zion: We're in a leased facility here in Raleigh, North Carolina. The building is just under 3,000 square feet with most of that devoted to basic woodworking. There are two offices; one is used exclusively for setup and repair work and the other for office work. There's a small showroom at the front of the building where we get to play guitars occasionally and entertain walk-in customers. There are six of us in the company at the moment. As I said, recruiting for another luthier is underway. Everybody here is just as picky as I am about how these guitars go together and I hope to recruit other like-minded craftspeople as time goes on It helps to have a sense of humor and to enjoy the work. I'm fortunate to have these folks working here. Ken Hoover works out of an office in Greensboro and handles sales inquires and customer service. He's like the godfather to our company and I unashamedly rely on him for advice and guidance on all the issues we face in an expanding guitar business. We are very fortunate to have him in the company.

David Tebbens came to Zion last August and is a tremendous asset to our company. He has 9 years combined experience in guitar manufacturing and repair, and this experience is evident in all the guitars that come out of this shop. The spectacular finish work is largely David's even though I do all the spray work at the moment. David can take a guitar from the spray booth and buff it until it¹s mirror smooth, which is no small task with the polyester finish we use. I sent a picture of a guitar to a client in Japan a couple months ago. He wrote back and inquired about what looked to him like a flaw in the finish. I looked at the picture and realized that what the client was seeing was a partial reflection of a car in the finish that the camera picked up from outside the showroom window. That's a good example of David's work standard. When we made the decision to reestablish a dealer network, we were really fortunate to find Ted Holland to manage that end of the business. Ted is our Director of Sales and is doing a great job. He's signed four new dealers in the last three weeks, which is a testimony to his ability to relate to people. He stays on the road a lot, which he seems to enjoy. Our two newest recruits are Walt Rabon, Inventory Control Technician, and Sam Smith in Finance. Walt and Sam have both hit the deck running, which I am very grateful for.

MH: Any special manufacturing techniques or tooling you feel are unique to Zion Guitars?
Zion: There is nothing really unique to our manufacturing at the moment. Attention to detail is paramount and the work requires 100% focus to get the result I want. Nothing unusual there. We have a really good manufacturing management software system that we're in the process of bringing on-line. I've installed three of these systems in previous lives and know very well what the benefits are from a successful installation. The system handles everything from sales-order management to shipping and all points in between inventory control, job estimating, financials, forecasting, everything. Getting that system up and running is a close number two priority to building guitars. Beyond the management systems, we're looking into manufacturing center technology for the shop. We're at least a year away from implementing anything that sophisticated, but the foundation has to be laid now to allow the migration from where we are to where we want to be.

MH: Zion takes great pride in their "Custom Shop". Tell us what makes your Custom Shop so special.
Zion: Typically, in this business, a builder or guitar company will design and build a particular model of guitar. The designer or company determines what the guitar is made of, what woods to use, hardware, electronics, color and finish basically making their vision of what the ideal guitar should be. Once all the design criteria are decided the instrument goes into production, is shipped to retail stores, and displayed for potential clients. Players pick them up and play them and if they like what they play, they buy the guitar. Our business starts with the player rather than the guitar. Our fundamental styles are pretty well set but we offer a wide range of features and options. The player chooses the body style, what woods to use in the construction, pickups, wiring, and color. That way, the player determines the look, feel and sound of the instrument rather than the luthier. In our model, we fit the guitar to the player rather than the other way around. In rare cases we even go beyond our standard features and options. Last year we shipped two guitars to a client in Indianapolis that were made from wood he supplied. We're in the process of setting up a dealer network at the moment so our model will likely become sort of a hybrid, but the emphasis on customization will always be there. If a player walks into a Zion dealer and likes the Zion but prefers a different color or set of pickups or something, we're happy to build one from the ground up just for him or her.

MH: Any unique philosophies about Zion Guitars you feel have attributed to your success?
Zion: I believe it all comes down to respect for our craft and for the people
we work for. This is a fun business to work in and we get to meet a lot of great players. I've seen players in our showroom who are really good and, I can tell you, it's a great feeling watching them play a Zion to its full potential. At the same time, we meet players who are just getting started or can't devote the time necessary to get really proficient but just enjoy playing. In our shop, everybody gets the same respect. Most of us in our company are pretty well grounded in our religious beliefs. It goes back to the respect thing a bit, recognizing our abilities as gifts and being grateful for the things we can accomplish. We don't just sit back and wait for divine guidance here, because I believe it's our responsibility to exercise those gifts to achieve the highest possible standard. I guess that explains the hundred hour weeks I've been working for the past year.

MH: Any new models coming soon or any special plans for R & D?
Zion: We have a very patient client in Pennsylvania who is waiting for the first Zion bass to come out of this facility. We haven't made one with a carved top, ever, so this is a ground-up design effort. We've been working on it for a couple of months and don't anticipate being in production much before March, but that¹s on its way. Once again, the focus is on the player so the range of features and options will be as great as we can manage. Ken and his staff used to make a really sweet single-cutaway called the Powerglide. It had a set neck and 24 fret scale length, and typically sported a locking tremolo. It is such an amazing design that I can't wait to get it back into production. We've got some things in front of it, like the bass project, but will be looking to start shipping that puppy sometime this year. It is a very flexible design that looks and feels great. Keep an eye out for this one.

MH: How do you perceive the state of the high-end guitar market and how do you perceive that continuing to evolve?
Zion: The high-end guitar market is definitely growing and, while I don't have exact numbers, I believe that growth in this market is greater than that for the mass-production market. The number of custom shops has grown over the last ten years or so in response to increased demand for high-quality products. Twenty-five years ago, there wasn't much need to go to a custom builder because what was available off-the-shelf wasn't too bad. That doesn't seem to be the case today.

MH: What do you feel are the greatest attributes of a Zion Guitar?
Zion: These are very nice guitars. All our designs, much like everybody else's in this business, are inspired by the work of Leo Fender and Les Paul but our body shapes on the double cutaway and Primera models have simpler, more elegant lines. We use the best available materials in construction and are fanatical in our approach to fit and finish. So what we offer is good, solid designs, premium quality materials and commitment to quality in manufacturing. If that sounds like a sales pitch, then so be it. We do what we do as well as anybody and better than most which pleases me considerably.

MH: Any special plans for Zion Guitars in the future?
Zion: We're just now getting reestablished in the retail sector after having been focused on direct sales for the last four or five years. We don't want Zion to be the "best kept secret" any longer and working with our retail partners seems to be the best way to achieve that. A lot of players know about Zion, but more often than not have never had an opportunity to play one. Getting guitars in players' hands is a big objective at the moment. On the manufacturing side, we¹ll be looking to invest heavily in tooling and equipment. I¹m a firm believer in having the right tools to do a job and this business is no exception.

MH: Any personal business philosophies you feel have attributed to your
success?
Zion: I am not what you would consider a true consensus manager but believe very strongly that the best decisions are the result of input from others. For the same reason that two dogs will eat three times as much food as one dog, I believe that discussing a problem or issue with someone else inevitably leads to a better decision. We have these mini feeding frenzies a lot in our company.

MH: In closing Dale, a guitar player looking to purchase a high-end guitar, why
should he choose a Zion?
Zion: We're 100% focused on quality and customer service. Combine that with our model of fitting guitars to players and some very elegant designs, and I think we have something to offer the discriminating client. Ours is a no-compromise approach to luthiery and if a player wants a guitar unique to his style, then this is the place to come.

Photos courtesy of Zion Guitar Technology