About Tim Reede

I have been a student of music my entire adult life. I have studied sound engineering at the Recording Workshop in Ohio, I have worked as a DJ for radio and nightclub, I have worked as a music buyer for a wholesale recording distributor, and I have been a professional guitarist, releasing three recordings.

The other major interest in my life has been woodworking. I have studied cabinetmaking at Minnesota State College Minneapolis Technical and I have worked as a professional craftsman for over twelve years. During that time my work has appeared in publications including Builder Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, Architectural Digest, on the cover of Midwest Home and Garden magazine, on the TV show "Home Time", and the TV show "Blueprint for Green". I decided to merge these two interests by enrolling at Minnesota State College Southeast Technical to study musical stringed instrument repair and construction. I studied archtop construction under violin maker John Reed. I studied finishing and electric guitar construction under Brian Bodigheimer and I studied flat top guitar construction under David Vincent.

This seems to be what everything in my life has been pointing towards all along. My mother is an artist and my father is a retired science professor, this right brain and left brain upbringing is very useful in the building a guitar. We luthiers pay a great deal of attention to how small changes made to the design of an instrument affect the final voice. And it is also important that the guitar be an object of beauty. I take great care to find that colors complement each other or that the shape of an inlay works with the entire instrument.

My mission is to create unique, one of a kind instruments that are of the highest quality and have superior sound. I accomplish this by useing time honored designs, high quality materials and methods that have proven to be worthy. I use a dovetail neck/body joint, hide glue and scalloped X bracing for example. The guitar is a complex object and it is important to look to the past to learn what has worked and build from that knowledge. Some of the instruments that I make are created specifically for an individual. The size and features can be chosen for a one of a kind guitar that reflects your playing style and your own aesthetics. Choose custom designed pearl inlays and woods (or controls for electrics) that will give the sound you desire. Prices vary greatly depending on the woods chosen and the ornamentation. If you would like to play one of these fine guitars, you can see them at one of the events that I often attend, you can see if I have a dealer in your area or you can contact me directly.

Tim Reede Guitars have been shown around the United States at such prestigious events as the Newport Guitar Festival in Newport RI, the Healdsburg Guitar Festival near Healdsburg CA and the Miami Guitar Festival in South Beach FL. The Leopard guitar was recently featured in the luxury magazine Marq.

All of my guitars come with a lifetime guarantee.

Click here to learn how to order a custom guitar

Order my shirts and other products by clicking on the image below.	Thanks to: Jeff Lund at www.bigfedora.com for photo work. Bill Nagel at www.quantumpetshop.com for web help. Steve Kaul from the Brass Kings for demonstrating guitars. Chris Bakken formerly of Nordstrand guitars. Frank Tillota and Victor Stuhr of Music-Go-Round in Roseville MN. Cory Lake of American Guitar and Band in Maple Grove MN. Recording artist Annie Humphrey for helping to promote my guitars. Southeast Technical in Red Wing MN for their wealth of knowledge.

 

Our new facility is complete now. It is nearly three times the size of our old building, and the added space is very much needed. The new building is incoporating sustainable or "Green" products in the design. We are useing a solar hot water heater that will supplement the hydronic radiant floor heating system. We are useing a new type of insulation called Ultra Touch that is made from the byproduct of the denim industry. It is basically ground up blue jeans. Our outdoor lighting is compliant with the Dark Sky Initiative so we are not polluting the night sky with unnecessary light. The parking area is water permeable so that oils do not wash off into the river. The landscaping contains native wild plantings to reestablish a healthy ecosystem. And the electricity that we use is partially produced by wind through Excel Energy's' Windsourse program. We feel that making these choices will promote a healthier environment and we believe that it reflects the values of our clients.

 

Shop Photos

Five string neck through bass

Finishing guitars

Five string neck through bass -----------------------OM and Leopard top------------------------Koa Grand Concert back

Dreadnought ------------------------------------------------------------Head stock Inlay

Gluing on the linings -----------------------------------Carving braces-------------------------------clamping the back braces

New Dreadnoughts ---------------------------------------------------------------------=Rosette

Binding going on to the Venetian cut away archtop --------------------------------------- The neck for the Venetian cutaway archtop

Gluing the back on the classical------------------------------------------------- Classical getting its binding

Gluing the neck on to the non cutaway archtop----------------------------------------------- Bracing for the triple O

Fitting the sides on a classical guitar ---------------------------------------------New electric bodys