MAKING A CASE FOR ATTORNEY ROCK BY JOL DANTZIG
Musician attorneys get a bad rap. When lawyers,
CEOs, doctors, and other big-money professionals pick up a
guitar, people tend to wince.
Even if they are proficient players, they are somehow perceived
as posers. I think this perception runs opposite the truth in
many ways.
As a builder, I’ve of course
had plenty of opportunities to
work with clients that make
their living as guitarists. From
the struggling club player to
the mega-platinum axe slinger,
I’ve gone toe-to-toe with all of
them. Some are professional
and dedicated, while others
are somewhat less organized.
In dealing with all ranks of the
working pros, I’ve found that
egos don’t seem to be tied to
ticket and album sales—respect
or rudeness can be dished out
at any level of achievement.
My initial inklings of this
came when I first started selling my wares to touring pros.
Opinionated and intractable
was just as likely as curious
and open. That said, musicians
are focused on making music,
and technical things like scale
length or string tension might
not always be of interest to
them. Just like the rest of the
population, guitarists come in
all flavors.
The last few decades have
witnessed the arrival of the
so-called wealthy, weekend
warrior musician. These well-
heeled professional people are
either returning to the guitar,
or fulfilling a lifelong desire to
learn how to play. The common
stereotype has them brandishing
shiny new guitars made from
over-stained quilt maple with
gobs of pearl inlay, or snapping
up blue-chip vintage pieces. As
the myth goes, these are rich
and less-than-talented guys pos-
sessing more cash than chops.
However, I’ve found these guys
to be just as passionate as many
of the full-timers. I see the same
dedication and focus that made
them a success in their chosen
field, applied to their musician-
ship. This all-in approach is also
evident when commissioning a
custom guitar.
Measuring 1 3/16" deep at the 12th fret, the neck on this 1994 custom
double-cut was spec’d as “baseball bat” in the original order. The
owner is delighted, yet after the guitar was finished, its builder deemed
it “unplayable.” How far should a luthier go to accommodate a client’s
wishes or design requests? Photo by Andy Ellis
The difference is that many successful peo-
ple possess not just the ability to identify a
goal and verbalize it, but also the ability to
remain open to alternative paths to that goal.
philosophy—and not wanting
the customer’s project to end
in tears.
Typically, a reasonable per-
son will entertain mitigating
changes in order to produce a
more balanced instrument that
still achieves the original goal.
This is where the professional
businessperson tends to be more
flexible than others. We’re all
aware of Type A personalities,
those who are used to get-
ting anything they want just
because they can afford to pay
for it, regardless of practical-
ity. My experience has shown
me that this kind of thinking
is not commonplace with the
supremely successful. The lesson
and takeaway here is that the
strategy of a seasoned and suc-
cessful professional is to achieve
the overall goal, even if it means
changing the game plan along
the way to do so.
JOL DANTZIG is a
noted designer, builder, and
player who co-founded
Hamer Guitars, one of
the first boutique guitar
brands, in 1973. Today,
as the director of Dantzig
Guitar Design, he continues to help define
the art of custom guitar. To learn more, visit
guitardesigner.com.
