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Marshall coats playing the Curbow Retro III (5-string model) at the Atlanta Bass Review
Curbow Slideshow:
Bass Player Magazine’s Review of the Curbow Retro III
Welcome to Curbow String Instruments & the Curbow School of Lutherie !!
Curbow String Instruments are designed, engineered and handmade by us in Morganton, Georgia in the USA. They reflect the desires and needs of the musician as only the finest custom made instruments. A Curbow has many unique and important features that result in an instrument that sounds better, plays better, and looks better than any other.
Douglas Somervell is the Master Luthier here at Curbow String Instruments / Curbow School of Lutherie.
Douglas began building stringed musical instruments in 1976 under the tutelage of Master Violin Maker George Kelischeck in the southern Appalachian town of Brasstown, North Carolina. After a three year apprenticeship with Master Kelischeck Douglas and his wife Elisabeth opened D&D Somervell Luthiers in Warne, North Carolina. Twice, thanks to John Sutherland of The University of Georgia, Douglas had an opportunity to study Classical Guitar making with the late R.L "Bob" Mattingly. The first time was in 1983 when Bob came to Atlanta for a week of seminars. That week of learning and discussions led to an invitation and scholarship to study and build a guitar with Bob at his shop in Long Beach, California. Douglas made that trip in 1984. In 1987 Douglas and Elisabeth bought a house in Brasstown and opened Somervell Guitars. Douglas is not only a Master Builder of fine Classical Guitars but has also developed a wide spread reputation for the highest quality repair work specializing in but not limited to Classical and Flamenco guitars. In 1993 Douglas went to work for Greg Curbow at his shop in Morganton, GA. He was responsible for carving necks and fretwork as well as the assembly of the finished instruments, and maintaining a JIT inventory of parts. In 1995 under mutual agreement Douglas returned to his shop in Brasstown and Curbow Stringed Instruments sent all the rough neck blanks there for carving and fretting and finishing. In addition to this work Somervell Guitars continued to build a national reputation as a repair center for Classical and Flamenco guitars and building a few very exquisite Classical and Flamenco guitars. Douglas also did several Seminars about guitar setup and maintenance at the Christopher Parkening Master Class in Bozeman, Montana; at Louisiana State University at Lafayette, Louisiana and at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He also did private instruction in repair and building at his shop in Brasstown. In November of 2004 Douglas went back to work for Curbow Stringed Instruments where he is building Greg's fine electric basses & guitars. After Greg’s passing Doug became the Master Luthier and continues to build Curbow’s fine works of art. He is also the teacher for our Curbow School of Lutherie.
