Rising Stars: Meet Daniel Fields

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Fields.

Hi Daniel, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve played guitar since I was six years old. My father is a woodworker, and he made a few guitars over the years. That’s where the idea originated- I had access to the information and some of the equipment through him. I also used to work as a motorcycle mechanic, which I think instilled a certain mental approach to diagnosing issues and examining how systems are made up of many smaller pieces, all interacting and influencing each other. I’d been playing and working on my own guitars for more than twenty years, and when I took classes on guitar repair I realized a lot of the same thought processes applied to this instrument that I was already intimately familiar with. I began mainly working on friends’ instruments, and it kind of took off- in addition to repairs, I started selling the guitars I built, and I’ve been very fortunate to have a local community that is full of wonderful, creative people who seem to share my love of fun projects and cool guitars.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had access to resources that have allowed me to get to where I am and do what I do. I have a wonderful and supportive wife, parents who I’m close to, and a lot of incredible musician friends. That being said, any endeavor has challenges- it’s fascinating to me how stressed out I can get about guitars. I’ve learned so much about how my brain works. I’m frequently reminded of a line from Robert Pirsig’s ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’: “The real cycle you’re working on is a cycle called yourself.”

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I make bespoke electric guitars in addition to my repair work. I have a few original designs that I offer as jumping-off points. I tend to favor certain design and aesthetic choices, but I also really enjoy collaborating with clients to create an instrument that is personalized and unique. I try to tailor each build to the specific needs of the player- there are a lot of different ways to approach playing the guitar, so a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t really make sense to me. I wind the pickups for the guitars myself, which is one of the ways for me to tweak the sound slightly to suit each individual application. I also love modifying existing instruments, doing custom wiring, and doing other things to make them better suit the player.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
There are so many people! My parents have been hugely supportive, particularly my father. He has a lifetime of woodworking knowledge that he willingly shares, and he graciously allows me to fill every corner of the workshop with guitars. My wife Rosie is a photographer and takes pictures of my work- they also deserve credit for being so supportive and understanding when I work late or am distracted by thoughts of guitar repairs. The guitar tech/luthier community is also a wonderfully open and communicative environment. Many master builders and repair techs will freely share their knowledge and demonstrate methods to each other. It seems relatively rare to me to find that level of camaraderie within an industry. I’ve been fortunate to have had some great teachers over the years.

On a larger scale, any business endeavor depends significantly on the labor of a huge number of people all over the world and throughout history. The infrastructure that I rely on just for my modest guitar business spans the globe: office and warehouse workers, truck drivers, pilots, the mechanics keeping the vehicles on the road, the great innovators of history whose inventions allow us to create/perform/record music. It’s a good reminder that what we create is bigger than individuals. Bigger than humanity even- the whole globe is implicated in our industrious feats. To me, art is one of the best expressions of that larger picture. Working on guitars is one way for me to connect to that.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: danielfieldsguitar.com
• Instagram: @daniel_fields_guitar
• Other: theoblations.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Rosie Valentine Photography