Our People

Over the years, we’ve had help building out this vision from wonderful people from all over the globe. Guitar makers Kevin Ryan, Jim Olson, Harry Fleishman, George Lowden, Bob Taylor and Richard Hoover have all been generous with ideas and advice. We’ve had team members in the shop from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Tibet, Texas and Australia. Each one brought a unique perspective and a unique set of talents. We’ve had Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and agnostics working happily side-by-side. Many friends and family cheered us on; some sacrificed financially to help us get off the ground, and others had the courage to order guitars early on before we had proved ourselves. We’re deeply grateful for each of you!

Keep reading to meet our current team.

A man with dark hair and facial hair carefully measures a wooden piece with a ruler, working on a woodworking project.

Rahul

Rahul showed up at Dave’s house one day with a painting contractor he was working for. The contractor gave a price and promised to show up the next day to start work. He never came back, but Rahul did, because Rahul is a faithful guy who does what he says he will. He helped paint the house and did such a good job that we asked him to come work with us at the guitar shop. He spent the next couple years training to build soundboxes and eventually took over that corner of the shop, building and voicing everything before it goes on to the binding station. Rahul is happily married and is becoming a leader in our town. Back in 2022, when concerns about Covid were finally starting to relax, Rahul sat Dave down at a local cafe and asked him what the plan was going to be for getting Dehradun back up and running. In many ways, he’s the reason we’re all still together.

A person working on shaping the wood body of an acoustic guitar using a tool in a workshop.

Vishal

Vishal was raised in Dehradun, and he Rahul have basically been inseparable since they were kids. In fact, many times if you hear one of their names, you assume the other one’s name is about to follow. Vishal came along with Rahul one day for that house painting job and has stuck around ever since. He is skilled at several of the operations and we’ve come to count on him for binding the guitars right through the polishing work - some of the most detailed, difficult work we do. Vishal is probably Rajpur’s most eligible bachelor and we expect to see him married off any day. For now, we’re just grateful to have him on our team, making sure your guitar looks as good as it sounds.

Close-up of a man with long dreadlocks playing an acoustic guitar against a dark background.

Amen

Amen was a natural talent on the keyboard since he was a kid. He wanted to learn guitar too, but didn’t have access to one. So he drew frets on a stick of firewood and learned the chord shapes by paying attention whenever he saw someone playing. By the time he finally had one in his hands, he already knew how to play, and he quickly became (and still is!) one of the most skilled guitarists in town. He’s also one of the most skilled guitar makers in India, an inlay artist who has studied Larry Robinson’s work extensively, and he can carve a neck to just about any requested spec. Amen also helps out with final setup. He’s married with two lovely kids, a boy and a girl.

A man, woman, and baby standing together outdoors with mountains in the background.

Nikhil

Nikhil was a mentor at a rehabilitation center when Dehradun Guitar Co. got underway, but he was in close contact with the team all the way through. For the past several years, Nikhil has been working with a business incubator that has helped 23 businesses get off the ground in south and southeast Asia - including DGC. He and his friend Nawang started Rewa, a much-needed recovery center in Rajpur that walks alongside men in our town and helps them overcome trauma and addiction. Nikhil helps keep our team focused and strong, and put his own resources on the line to help restart the work after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Man smiling while holding an acoustic guitar in a workshop.

Tenzing Phuntsok

Tenzing Phuntsok (whom we affectionally call “TP”) has been on the journey with us since day one. TP was originally raised in Nepal, then spent some time in Delhi before moving to Dehradun. He and Dave met at a mentoring house called Zhidey Kansar, where TP had taught himself to play guitar, sing and speak fluent English. When Dave suggested they should try building a couple guitars together, TP was all in. TP has his hands full at work, since he has cross trained on all aspects of guitar making. He handles final assembly and setup, transforming each guitar from a pile of beautiful parts into a beautiful, useful tool. He also has his hands full at home, raising two young boys.

A man with slicked-back dark hair drinking from a white coffee mug indoors, wearing a black shirt with white lettering.

Jeremy

Jeremy originally contacted Dave in March 2020, to ask what was going on with the guitar shop in the midst of the pandemic. The shop had shut down at the time, and Jeremy spent the next several months walking alongside Dave and the team, working to figure out whether it might be possible to usher Dehradun Guitar Co. into a new chapter. In large part due to Jeremy’s encouragement and insistence, the team is back together and building again. Jeremy is the kind of guy who lights up the room, and we continue to count on him for vision and inspiration. Jeremy and his wife Ruth have four birth children and have also raised several young people in their home as their own. We’re happy to be a part of their very large, extended family.

Scrapbook

Group of six men smiling and with arms around each other's shoulders, standing outdoors with green plants and pink flowers in the background.
A man playing an acoustic guitar, with a focus on the guitar's headstock and tuning pegs, while his face is blurred in the background.
Smiling young man with a beard and short hair, wearing a black jacket, standing indoors with a colorful abstract background.
A man and a boy working together on a woodworking project in a workshop. The boy is measuring a piece of wood with a tool, and the man is assisting and observing. There are various tools and pieces of wood on the workbench.
A young man with short dark hair, wearing a gray beanie and a gray zip-up sweatshirt with a crest on it, sitting indoors and smiling at the camera.
Group of eleven people smiling and holding guitars and wooden instruments on a balcony or terrace.
A man wearing a cap and a young boy are working on a wooden boat in a workshop.
A man with dark hair and a beard, wearing a brown t-shirt, is in a workshop or studio, holding a tool and working with rolled-up papers or blueprints on a set of drawers.
A man inspecting or repairing a film strip using a magnifying glass with a headlamp, wearing glasses on his head in a dimly lit environment.
Man sitting at a cluttered workbench in a workshop with a small CNC machine, tools, and storage bins
A man working on a woodturning lathe, shaping a wooden object, in a workshop.
Man working in a woodworking shop, operating a belt sander to smooth a piece of wood, surrounded by tools and wood pieces.
A man wearing ear protection working with a woodworking machine, holding a piece of wood.
Group of diverse young adults smiling and holding various guitars and musical instruments on a balcony.
A man in a plaid shirt and jeans sits on a step, playing an acoustic guitar, with another acoustic guitar leaning against the wall beside him in a rustic, weathered room.
Two men in a workshop, one playing guitar and the other listening.
A smiling man with short curly hair and a beard in a workshop or garage, with a pen behind his ear, looking over his shoulder at the camera. There are two other men visible in the background.
Man holding an acoustic guitar indoors, wearing a gray sweatshirt and a blue scarf, with a contemplative expression.
Man with glasses and a beard focused on woodworking, using a tool on a piece of wood.
A man in a red plaid shirt working on a wooden acoustic guitar in a workshop. The guitar is placed on a workbench covered with a pink towel. The wall behind him has various tools hanging, including screwdrivers, pliers, and a saw.
A man with dark hair and a beard standing inside a stone or concrete structure with a rough, weathered surface, looking at the camera with a slight smile, in casual clothing of a dark t-shirt and light shorts, with hands in pockets, backlit by bright outdoor light.
A young man wearing a black cap and a light green t-shirt, smiling and leaning over a work surface in a workshop.
Two men standing at a porch with stone walls. One man is playing guitar while the other is pointing at it.
A person standing on stone steps, holding an acoustic guitar, seen through a narrow, curved stone opening.