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FLATHEADBEACON.COM APRIL 29, 2015 | 29
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Joel Knadler, pictured in his shop. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Local luthier spends 10 years building guitars after taking it up as a hobby BY MOLLY PRIDDY
Transforming a Love
of Music InIto a Business
n the basement of the Knadlers’ home on lumbia Falls Junior High for the last 14 years. Helena Flats Road, just outside Kalispell, “I’ve played guitar all my life, and I’ve lies a luthier’s playground. All of the always tinkered with them,” he said in his
clamps, wood, machinery, and inspiration are there, waiting to be transformed into beauti- ful acoustic guitars by Joel Knadler.
The walls feature some of his w ork, along with works-in-progress, and guitars from na- tional and international companies. A half- strung ukulele lay clamped in a vice on a work table, waiting for Knadler’s knowhow to bring it back to playable shape.
A luthier is someone who is trained to build and repair stringed instruments, typi- cally guitars. Knadler is someone who has spent his life involved with music instru- ments of all kinds, having taught band at Co-
workroom last week.
It’s easy to see how Knadler might take up
luthier skills as a hobby, given his connections to the music world; not only does he teach, but he also plays locally, and used to spend every weekend for six years playing with the house band at the Bigfork Inn.
In 2004, he went to luthier school, where the students learned to build – and did build – a guitar in two weeks.
Like any new skill, Knadler said he was enamored with making guitars, starting out
See Guitars PAGE 31