Our metal writer Jake Ryan recently worked on a project titled, "Bring The Gibson V Back To Life," which was Jake’s mission to repair a 1985 Gibson Flying V that someone had hacked to hell and then discarded like a slice of five-day-old pizza. Lucky for the V, it fell into the hands of a man who has a deep appreciation for music and musical instruments. Jake finished the project in April, to see the end result go to www.tdpri.com and look in the Finely Finished section of the website’s forum.

Jake’s project reminded me of a story I had in the can. I thought I would pull this story I did a while back on luthier Bruce Phillip Clay back in 2003. He was the sole owner of the now defunct Rarebird Guitar Lab. The company went bankrupt in 2006, and though Rarebird doesn’t exist anymore, many of his guitars do. Clay established Rarebird Guitar Lab in 1978 and built approximately 1300 guitars, basses, and other stringed instruments. He has tried to restart the company several times but could never pull enough cash flow to pull it off.

"The problem now is our economy has collapsed and I personally lost my cheese (my clout). We, meaning mostly me, and occasional helpers repaired probably a half-million instruments based on an average number over the years," Clay said. "I’d guess I worked an average of 60 hours a week over the years and did well for a poor boy, self-made craftsman. I hosted an international guitar show for eight years, and have taught and lectured at several universities and trade schools."

Clay also organized and operated the Rocky Mountain Guitar show from 1992 through 2000. He said the work involved became too much, and the payoff usually wasn’t there. He did try to get other local music stores and guitar builders involved, but was not successful.

"Doing it by yourself is like throwing a wedding on steroids, just too much work."

Stevie Ray Vaughn, Big Head Todd, Billy Gibbons, Roy Clark, Carlos Cavazo and Ed King are but a few of the famous guitar players Clay has had for clients in his 30-plus years as a luthier.

"The first famous guitar player’s instrument I had worked on was Roy Clark. That was in Las Vegas in 1977. His tour bus was stolen with all his gear. He and his road manger came over about eight or nine in the morning with an old Gretch guitar. They sat in my living room while I refretted the neck."

Clay was the sole owner of Rarebird Guitars. He moved his shop from his home in the Denver metro area to Paonia, CO, then to Sante Fe, NM. From Santa Fe, he moved to Georgia, but now he is back home in Colorado. Clay started working as an apprentice in 1972 for Dano’s String Mechanics, a company owned by Dano Goforth. He said the shop did repair work for local music stores such as Villa Music.

"He didn’t have to do much training, I just picked it up," Clay said of his apprenticeship. "I think the difference for me was my dad. He taught me all the woodwork. He built gunstocks and cabinets and things like that."

Goforth said when Clay went to work for him he was very enthusiastic.

"He was just a kid, and really wanted to work on guitars," Goforth said. "He was so psyched about it."

Goforth said Clay worked for him for about two years before going to school. When Clay returned from luthier school, Goforth’s main interests had turned into running his band Windfield, and further away from guitar repair. He eventually sold his business with Clay obtaining a major portion.

Clay said after luthier school, he went to college for six months for archeology and didn’t like it. What he bought from Goforth, "Was a few tools and a pile of guitar parts." Clay changed the name of the company to the Guitar Doctor.

"Before you know it he had a big inventory," Goforth said, "And he did it all on his own with no backing. I was real impressed, and proud of what he had accomplished."

Goforth is in the entertainment field these days. He operates Windfield Productions, a sound and lighting outfit. He is also a tour and production manger for USO shows around the world. Recently, Goforth had called on Clay for advice on a guitar he was repairing. Goforth said that Clay is a dying breed

"I have been in the business for over 30 years," Clay said. "I’ve built about 1,300 custom guitars and basses. On repairs, I did at least a half-million stringed instruments. Pretty sick, huh?"

Clay’s main source of income comes from repairs. Though he has a long list of famous clients, he also builds and does repairs for many local musicians’ instruments.

"If it has strings, I’ve worked on it," Clay said, referring to the different stringed instruments he has either built or repaired. "The oldest piece I worked on was a Persian instrument called a Tar. I really don’t know what the hell it was other than strange. But, it was about a thousand years old," Clay said.

The most expensive instrument he has worked on was a restoration on a rare 1852 Martin acoustic guitar.

"The Martin Guitar Company had offered the owner a whole lot of money for it," Clay said. "I didn’t even want it left in my shop. She would drop it off and pick it up in the evening."

Clay said heat is the number one enemy of guitars, and moisture is the second. He uses both these elements in taking guitars apart and repairing them.

"People will leave their guitars in the trunk on a hot day. The heat breaks down the glue joints."

A 1974 Gibson SG sits in a corner of the shop, waiting to have its neck reset. Clay looks closely at the soldering job he has just completed on an active unit he is installing on a customers’ guitar.

"Detail work takes a fare amount of time. The electronics and wiring have gotten more technical," Clay said. "It’s not rocket science, but you have to have some knowledge of how to read diagrams and schematics."

He takes liquid copper and starts brushing the inside of the cavity where the active unit will rest. The liquid copper acts as a shield to prevent the active unit from being interfered with. Clay says that inlay work is another time consuming detail. He has inlayed guitar neck markers with turquoise, mother of pearl, abalone, malachite, green stone, agate and lapis, just to name a few.

Clay says most guitar builders incorporate a twist on original guitar designs, with the first electric guitar designs coming from Gibson and Fender.

"It’s hard to come up with something new without being totally radical."

He says there are two types of customers he deals with: those who, "Can’t see past the norm," and people who like things, "Radically different."

Clay has one radically designed guitar hanging in his shop. It was for the late Billy Ryan, a local blues player, who was a bit of a legend himself. The guitar’s horns look like tree branches protruding from the guitar’s body.

"Strange guitars are hard to get rid of," Clay said. "I did have one member of my band who always stated how ugly this one guitar I had hanging in my shop was. One night he called me and asked if that was the same guitar he had seen Big Head Todd Moor playing. I told him Big Head Todd had ordered three of those from me."

Clay’s Rarebird guitars and basses average price is between $2000 and $2500. Rarebird Guitars start at $1300, and were made to the requests of the customer. He said the increasing price of exotic, highly figured woods make for a high figure price. Domestic hardwoods are much more affordable, which make for a lower-priced custom guitar. He said that a simple guitar will usually take him about 40 man-hours to complete, whereas a more complex guitar or bass can take anywhere from 200 to 300 hours. Clay said he usually completes a guitar in whatever custom finish the buyer wants.

"I had to learn a lot of things due to the request of customers," Clay said, referring to a guitar with a multi-gray colored faux finish. "I was building a pair of guitars for the Nelson twins. That’s the finish they wanted. I took a bunch of paint, swirled it with a turkey feather and a sponge. Hell, it’s like when I learned to be a guitar builder. There were only two books to show you how to do it. So I had to figure a lot of the stuff on my own. Sometimes you had to guess, use common sense."

Clay has passed on his knowledge to others, having over 20 apprentices in his career. One more recent apprentice, Bryan DeHerrera, 22, was at Clay’s shop for two years. DeHerrera said Clay has taught him all about the meaning behind building guitars.

"He has power and passion," DeHerrera said of Clay’s work. "He’s an artist, and I think that’s what a lot of people don’t see. He puts his soul into every single guitar he builds. You’re not just buying a Rarebird guitar, you’re buying a piece of Bruce Clay."

One such person that agreed with DeHerrera was Rarebird customer Robert McKee, who has bought three guitars from Clay, the first one in 1981 and the last in 1997.

"Bruce listens to you," McKee said of Clay’s workmanship. "I give him the idea and he’s always produced what I’ve wanted."

McKee said only once did he not meet his expectations, and Clay replaced the guitar with another one.

"I’ve always wanted the same neck," McKee said. "So I gave him the measurements and he reproduced it."

McKee said that the way Rarebird guitars are constructed is what gives them sustain, resonance and outstanding tone.

"They are handmade, and he puts a lot of himself into each guitar," McKee said. "The first one he made for me is still the one I play the most."

Clay says the final chapter on Rarebird has not been written. He still works on repairing and building guitars. Though it’s not near the amount of work he once did, he is working on a business plan on starting a guitar building and repair school. He is hoping to find a business partner in the near future. Clay can be reached via email at rarebruce1@yahoo.com.