a deep relationship with the intricacies and characteristics of wood


Kipp's relationship with wood began in 1993 when he attended The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Townsend, Washington. There he gained a foundation of traditional woodworking skills through the craft of boatbuilding. In 1994 he attended the Timeless Instruments School of Lutherie. Realizing immediately that guitarbuilding was all but unavoidable, Kipp worked for the next few years on commercial fishing boats as he put his shop together. During this time period he developed his skill as a craftsman by studying traditional woodcarving with Chris Pye and Raymond Gonzalez, marquetry with Silas Kopf, japanese woodworking with Toshio Odate and furniture design/construction with Chris Becksvoort, Brian Boggs, Curtis Buchanan and Mike Dunbar. Kipp is deeply indebted to all of these craftsmen for helping him to develop his relationship with both wood and workmanship.
Working with Michael Millard and Andy Mueller at Froggy Bottom Guitars, Kipp deepened his understanding of the intricacies of the traditional X-braced guitar and the guitar building process. It is this traditional foundation from which his designs evolve.
Kipp has worked as a sculptor, a furnituremaker, a CNC programmer, a guitar designer, and a luthier. He has carried with him in all of these professions a pursuit of perfection, purity, and innovation. As a luthier, Kipp combines his mastery of skill with an adept and distinct talent for design.

Kipp's love of music and for playing the guitar hone his perspective on what an instrument should offer. Realizing that the steel string guitar is a tool for non-verbal expression, Kipp strives to craft an instrument that is dynamic and tonally complex across the spectrum. In his one-man shop on his farm outside of Nashville, Kipp uses his skill as master craftsman to turn his passion for guitar building into an art form.