Charles
Fox
ABOVE: Charles Fox checks
the action on a student’s dreadnought in a recent American
School of Lutherie Hands-On
Acoustic Guitar Making class.
BELOW: This grand concert
Charles Fox Ergo Noir features
a Brazilian rosewood bridge
and peghead veneer.
Through his innovative steel-string designs,
widely used guitar-building tools, and highly
influential American School of Lutherie, this
restless builder from Portland, Oregon, has
had a remarkable impact on guitar making.
BY GAYLA DRAKE PAUL
PHOTOS BY DENISE E. RICHARDS
Charles Fox is one of the guitar community’s earliest
independent builders. Through
his American School of Lutherie
and his affinity for jig making
and problem solving, it’s not
unreasonable to speculate that
he has directly or indirectly
influenced virtually every acoustic guitar maker working today.
Visit;any;flattop;luthier’s;shop,
and you’ll probably find his
Universal Side Bender—and
maybe even his Bridge Clamp
system. Further, some of the
techniques he developed in
his classroom are now standard practice among acoustic
luthiers, particularly in the way
trim work is installed.
Fox credits his extensive
training as a teacher with help-
ing him discover simple, effi-
cient ways of working that also
happen to increase accuracy,
consistency, and quality. His
newest project, the Ergo, is a
gorgeous expression of the state
of the art from his extremely
well-versed perspective. With a
wedge-shaped body, Laskin arm
rest, elevated fretboard, clos-
able side port, removable access
panel, compound cutaway,
and stunning good looks, it’s
what many players would call a
“dream guitar.”
We caught up with Fox
recently between a three-week
trip to southeast Asia and a
two-week intensive guitar-
making class.
Ergo—with all its functional
details, like side ports that
can be opened or closed—is a
stunning piece of craftsmanship. How did it come about?
It took shape in 2005. The
aim was to take a number of
