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#FJFest: Minerva Fretworks

Isaac Stroupe is a builder based just outside of Chattanooga, TN, who got his start at Atlanta Violins, which readers might remember from our story on Matt Phillips in Issue 44. As Isaac tells us, “Learning from Matt, as well as Bill and Pat McClain was an incredible privilege. They’re some of the best out there, and learning the violin repair tradition is something I rely on every day.” He has been working full time under the Minerva Fretworks banner for about a year now, “building mostly depression era models, the Gibson Jumbo, L-00, and Regal MarvelTone” and doing vintage restorations. “My builds always use 100% hot hide glue construction, home-brewed spirit varnish finish, and largely native North American hardwoods,” he says. “I’m working on adding the Kay Kraft Venetian and several other models to the lineup.”

You can find Isaac’s creations as well as instruments he has restored via his Reverb store, or contact him via his website for custom orders. The gallery below includes “a 14-fret ‘Charlie Monroe’ Jumbo, a 13-fret curly maple Jumbo (made almost entirely of wood the customer had on hand — he’s a lifelong carpenter), an all fiddleback mahogany MinervaTone I made special for my Dad, and a very custom 15-fret 91% scaled L-00, with customer designed inlay.”

#FJFest is the Fretboard Journal‘s way of staying connected during these difficult times: Expect to see never-before-seen shop tours from guitarmakers, unique music performances and a ton of beautiful instruments on a daily basis throughout March 2020 and beyond.

See our ever-growing #FJFest posts here.

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