I'm a law professor, freelance writer, and fingerstyle guitarist. I became a fan of vintage, Gibson guitars through my quest to play the guitars that my blues and ragtime heroes of the 1920s and 1930s played. I attained fanatic status when I acquired a guitar just like the L-1 that Robert Johnson is holding is his famous photograph. My love of the "Banner era" Gibsons derives from my favorite guitar: my 1943 "Banner" SJ. But, my drive to co-write the "Banner Gibsons" book is motivated by much more than that guitar and the other "Banners" like it. Like Willi and Travis, I want to tell the story of the unsung women (and a few men) who worked for the Gibson Guitar Company during the WWII years.

Studies in social and cultural sciences, social pedagogue, traditional German graduation as master luthier, full time guitar maker and vintage repair man since 1987, articles and publications about acoustic vintage guitars in several guitar magazines and books during the past fifteen years.
I am the co-owner of the vintage guitar shop and guitar manufacturer "Antique Acoustics" together with my friend and partner Rudolph Blazer in South Germany. My love for Gibson banners is not only due to the music and the spirit of the song lyrics of this period, but also tied to the art in making these guitars and what it can teach us. In learning about the details and features of these guitars we can also learn about the construction and design of these outstanding musical instruments that have been manufactured under a limited availability of materials, resources and workforce. With help from friends and associates we hope to gain new information and insight about these guitars and share it with you through this site.

I'm a folk singer by heart, and my love for Gibson guitars comes from my longing to find the perfect accompaniment to delivering a song. In this search I've looked to my heroes and their tools. As I found out, many of my heroes, such as Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Big Bill Broonzy, and Skip James all shared a common thread: they all played banner era Gibsons. This lead me on my quest to find my favorite sounding guitar: a 1946 J-45N (aka: J-50), used exclusively by Bob Dylan on his first self-titled LP. While I've yet to find this guitar or play it for myself, it's impact on me has been immeasurable. My desire to get involved in this project with John and Willi was to attempt to make it easier for others to find their "dream guitar", and to help tell the story on what makes these guitars so special.