Tom Davis, owner of Thomas Davis-Guitar Maker, has turned guitar making from a hobby into a career.

Davis first started making guitars while he was a music student at Ohio State. To put himself through school, he began doing carpentry work and decided to build a harpsichord.

“The first owner of The String Shop said, ‘You’re a guitar player. You should make a guitar’,” Davis said.

The first guitar took over a year to build.

“At that time there weren’t any tools for building guitars,” he said. “I had to build and make jigs and tools. I spent nine months preparing to build.”

Other music students began asking him for guitars, so he decided to ask the dean of business at OSU to set up a personalized degree program tailored to owning a guitar making shop. In 1977, Davis graduated with a degree in musical merchandise and started his career of guitar making.

The process of making a guitar requires 100 hours of labor spread over two months. At J Thomas Davis-Guitar Maker, the process starts with a question and answer session with the customer.

“I first ask what they want to hear; what they want to achieve,” Davis said. “I tell them to describe what they are hearing and give me two likes and two dislikes.”

“One person may want a lot of bass, but bass to them is this big fuzzy thing that sits in your lap and to another person it may be a fireplug that shoots across the room.”

With that information, Davis identifies the customer’s words with the sound the guitar should produce. He then determines the shape, size and types of wood needed to create that sound.

Wood boards with a vertical grain are used for guitars. The vertical grain adds strength to the thin pieces needed for the correct guitar sound.

In the first stage of construction, two pieces of wood are glued together for the back and front of the instrument and then left to dry.

Davis then begins work on the neck of the guitar.

When the top has dried, he places the rosette, the circular component around the sound hole, into the top of the guitar.

Next, the bracings for the guitar body are cut and shaped.

The sides are created by bending them over a hot pipe until they match the specific guitar pattern.

A lining is then placed around the sides to create a broad gluing surface for the top and bottom that are attached next. The corners are then removed and replaced with a small wood strip. The strip helps seal the guitar from moisture and creates a better look.

Next, the guitar is sanded and eight to 12 coats of finish are applied.

Finally, the guitar is strung and the finished product is ready for the customer.

The process must be spread over two months to allow the glue to dry and give the wood time to conform to its shape.

Davis has been building guitars at his current shop location, 3135 N. High St., since 1993. He has created an apprenticeship program to train others in guitar making and repair.

Gearald Strickland, an employee at the shop, first tried building instruments on his own. After completing the program, he now builds guitars and basses in his own shop and does repair work at the store.

“I don’t think it would have happened if I hadn’t met Tom,” Strickland said.

Davis’ work has been recognized around the country. He has done work for Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls and James Hetfield of Metallica.

Steve Steele, who helps manage the business, likens the guitar maker to a good dentist or doctor. Steele said the shop meets and exceeds the expectations of what the customer needs, which gives them a reason to come back a second time.