Biography: (photo's are thumbnails.)
Todd Lunneborg grew up around guitars and music. His grandfather was the
leader of a country dance band in eastern North Dakota from the 60's thru the
80's. He received his first guitar just after he turned 7 as a Christmas gift from
his parents. And shortly after "accompanied" his 3rd grade class for their fall
program. "Mostly, I just strummed G, C, and D chords to some songs about
bugs. The music teacher played the piano, and we were in a concrete gym, so I
doubt anyone heard me."
During his eighth grade year he was hired at a local music store in Alexandria
Minnesota. "I wanted to work there so bad I would go into the store every day
and just start cleaning up. One day the owner of the store pulled me aside and
said that if I really wanted a job I should come back after the Christmas break
and see if there was space for me.
That was almost 2 months away, but January 4th I went back and he gave me a
job cleaning bathrooms and dumping garbages once a week." Cleaning once a
week evolved into, twice a week, then three times a week with some piano
deliveries, and then evolved into, "here would you change the strings on these
guitars." By the time he graduated from high school he was selling guitars,
teaching lessons, and "fixing" the guitars that would come in for repair.
"In Alexandria there wasn't a lot of 'repairs' to 'fix,' it was really just doing set-ups
and removing old sticker goo. But it was enough to get me started or at-least
interested in knowing more about guitars."
Todd attended St. Olaf College in Northfield Minnesota and received a degree in
Creative Music and Literature, a synthesis degree that combined studies in
Music Composition and Theory, and Journalism. While at Olaf Todd also was
the Concert Chair, in charge of booking bands, and Technical Director of the
campus club space. During that time he also studied fingerstyle guitar with
John Stropes, and toured as a intern and tour assistant with Billy Mclaughlin.
"It was during the time I was booking at Olaf that I thought about starting to build
guitars. To help pay for school I guitar teched for local bands. After doing two
large tours as a tech and seeing what life is like on the road for a prominent
professional player I realized that I wanted to be around my soon-to-be wife and
friends more than I wanted to live in a motel somewhere."
After graduating college, getting married, moving to Texas, then Chicago where
he "may have" worked on B.B. Kings actual Lucille he moved back to
Minneapolis to work at the Electric Fetus. "It was realizing that I loved working at
the Fetus but couldn't afford it that made me look towards building and teaching
more seriously in the first place. I just couldn't 'afford' to work there anymore so
I took the teaching job in Minnetonka.
In late 2003 my wife forced me to start building. I wanted to buy an Olson guitar,
so I bought one that was owned by a prominent Nashville player. Brought it
home and, after checking with Jim, found out it wasn't made with the woods I was
told it was made with. So I returned it. I was devastated. But my wife asked me
why it meant so much. And I said, 'All I want to do is build, I wanted to use it as a
model and a goal for my own building.'
She said, 'Well that's dumb, why spend that much money on a guitar when you
could just go out and buy the tools to start building one of your own?' So with
that nice kick in the pants I started to outfit my shop.
I wanted to build electrics first, I thought they'd be easier, and there wasn't
anyone in Minnesota building the guitars I would build. Plus I knew I wouldn't be
able to compete with the Acoustic Builders here in Minnesota. After my friends
started seeing my practice bodies they started ordering guitars. I sold six guitars
in my first batch before I had even started building."
Todd owes a lot to the local guitar builders in Minneapolis. Brian Applegate,
Charlie Hoffman (as well as his staffers Ron and Michelle), and Jim Olson have
helped him in his developement as a builder.
Brian Applegate has been especially helpful by serving as a pseudo mentor for
Todd. "He just answers all my questions and gives me dibs on all the tools he's
outgrown." Todd also got to aid in the design of his own Applegate guitar. "Brian
gave me the SJ template and I went home and started drawing lines for the
Venetian cutaway on my guitar. Brian has been a great teacher and peer.
When he was working on my guitar he treated me as more than a customer, and
that relationship has now developed into a pseudo mentor/ big brother thing."
Todd also had the chance to spend time with some of his other guitar builder
influences while on vacation in Spain this summer (2005). "I got to meet and
spend time with Manuel Contreras, Jerzy Drozd, Manuel Rodriguez, and Felix
Manzanero this summer. I was able to con my way into the Rodriguez Factory,
and spent almost an hour with Manuel himself. The real story is beyond
embarrassing but it all worked out in the end, and I learned a lot that day. I also
had the chance to visit the shop of Felix Manzanero, who is one of the last
remaining apprentices of Jose Ramirez II. His shop and collection of guitars was
amazing. He invited me into his shop and even though he didn't speak a word of
English he still showed me around his shop for an hour and a half.
My last stop in Madrid, other than the Ramirez shop, was the Manuel Contreras
shop. I played his instruments and was flabbergasted. I'd never played a
classical with so much volume and tone. While demoing the guitar I had a
question about the wood and was introduced to Manuel II himself. He and I
talked well past closing time about wood, wood seasoning, tone, starting out as a
builder and our wives also commiserated about being married to builders and
cooking with saw dust in the air. It was awesome.
We then continued on to Barcelona and Jerzy Drozd basses. A bass company
that builds the most amazing ergonomic basses that balance better than
conductors batons. I spent almost 2 hours drilling Jerzy about his work and he in
return drilled me about mine. When I told him that I designed my electric body
shape around the main guitar companies in the states and his Basses he was
amazed that he was the 'variable.' He said it was one of the best things he has
heard about his work. He said 'I have always hoped I would inspire others with
my work.'"
"Great builders like Jerzy, Brian, Jim, Manuel Contreras, and PRS inspire me to
be as good as they are. They are the goal I'm working towards."
Todd continues to guitar tech for local bands while he works on his own
instruments. He has opened a newly expanded shop in Andover MN where he is
working on new designs and back ordered instruments.
leader of a country dance band in eastern North Dakota from the 60's thru the
80's. He received his first guitar just after he turned 7 as a Christmas gift from
his parents. And shortly after "accompanied" his 3rd grade class for their fall
program. "Mostly, I just strummed G, C, and D chords to some songs about
bugs. The music teacher played the piano, and we were in a concrete gym, so I
doubt anyone heard me."
During his eighth grade year he was hired at a local music store in Alexandria
Minnesota. "I wanted to work there so bad I would go into the store every day
and just start cleaning up. One day the owner of the store pulled me aside and
said that if I really wanted a job I should come back after the Christmas break
and see if there was space for me.
That was almost 2 months away, but January 4th I went back and he gave me a
job cleaning bathrooms and dumping garbages once a week." Cleaning once a
week evolved into, twice a week, then three times a week with some piano
deliveries, and then evolved into, "here would you change the strings on these
guitars." By the time he graduated from high school he was selling guitars,
teaching lessons, and "fixing" the guitars that would come in for repair.
"In Alexandria there wasn't a lot of 'repairs' to 'fix,' it was really just doing set-ups
and removing old sticker goo. But it was enough to get me started or at-least
interested in knowing more about guitars."
Todd attended St. Olaf College in Northfield Minnesota and received a degree in
Creative Music and Literature, a synthesis degree that combined studies in
Music Composition and Theory, and Journalism. While at Olaf Todd also was
the Concert Chair, in charge of booking bands, and Technical Director of the
campus club space. During that time he also studied fingerstyle guitar with
John Stropes, and toured as a intern and tour assistant with Billy Mclaughlin.
"It was during the time I was booking at Olaf that I thought about starting to build
guitars. To help pay for school I guitar teched for local bands. After doing two
large tours as a tech and seeing what life is like on the road for a prominent
professional player I realized that I wanted to be around my soon-to-be wife and
friends more than I wanted to live in a motel somewhere."
After graduating college, getting married, moving to Texas, then Chicago where
he "may have" worked on B.B. Kings actual Lucille he moved back to
Minneapolis to work at the Electric Fetus. "It was realizing that I loved working at
the Fetus but couldn't afford it that made me look towards building and teaching
more seriously in the first place. I just couldn't 'afford' to work there anymore so
I took the teaching job in Minnetonka.
In late 2003 my wife forced me to start building. I wanted to buy an Olson guitar,
so I bought one that was owned by a prominent Nashville player. Brought it
home and, after checking with Jim, found out it wasn't made with the woods I was
told it was made with. So I returned it. I was devastated. But my wife asked me
why it meant so much. And I said, 'All I want to do is build, I wanted to use it as a
model and a goal for my own building.'
She said, 'Well that's dumb, why spend that much money on a guitar when you
could just go out and buy the tools to start building one of your own?' So with
that nice kick in the pants I started to outfit my shop.
I wanted to build electrics first, I thought they'd be easier, and there wasn't
anyone in Minnesota building the guitars I would build. Plus I knew I wouldn't be
able to compete with the Acoustic Builders here in Minnesota. After my friends
started seeing my practice bodies they started ordering guitars. I sold six guitars
in my first batch before I had even started building."
Todd owes a lot to the local guitar builders in Minneapolis. Brian Applegate,
Charlie Hoffman (as well as his staffers Ron and Michelle), and Jim Olson have
helped him in his developement as a builder.
Brian Applegate has been especially helpful by serving as a pseudo mentor for
Todd. "He just answers all my questions and gives me dibs on all the tools he's
outgrown." Todd also got to aid in the design of his own Applegate guitar. "Brian
gave me the SJ template and I went home and started drawing lines for the
Venetian cutaway on my guitar. Brian has been a great teacher and peer.
When he was working on my guitar he treated me as more than a customer, and
that relationship has now developed into a pseudo mentor/ big brother thing."
Todd also had the chance to spend time with some of his other guitar builder
influences while on vacation in Spain this summer (2005). "I got to meet and
spend time with Manuel Contreras, Jerzy Drozd, Manuel Rodriguez, and Felix
Manzanero this summer. I was able to con my way into the Rodriguez Factory,
and spent almost an hour with Manuel himself. The real story is beyond
embarrassing but it all worked out in the end, and I learned a lot that day. I also
had the chance to visit the shop of Felix Manzanero, who is one of the last
remaining apprentices of Jose Ramirez II. His shop and collection of guitars was
amazing. He invited me into his shop and even though he didn't speak a word of
English he still showed me around his shop for an hour and a half.
My last stop in Madrid, other than the Ramirez shop, was the Manuel Contreras
shop. I played his instruments and was flabbergasted. I'd never played a
classical with so much volume and tone. While demoing the guitar I had a
question about the wood and was introduced to Manuel II himself. He and I
talked well past closing time about wood, wood seasoning, tone, starting out as a
builder and our wives also commiserated about being married to builders and
cooking with saw dust in the air. It was awesome.
We then continued on to Barcelona and Jerzy Drozd basses. A bass company
that builds the most amazing ergonomic basses that balance better than
conductors batons. I spent almost 2 hours drilling Jerzy about his work and he in
return drilled me about mine. When I told him that I designed my electric body
shape around the main guitar companies in the states and his Basses he was
amazed that he was the 'variable.' He said it was one of the best things he has
heard about his work. He said 'I have always hoped I would inspire others with
my work.'"
"Great builders like Jerzy, Brian, Jim, Manuel Contreras, and PRS inspire me to
be as good as they are. They are the goal I'm working towards."
Todd continues to guitar tech for local bands while he works on his own
instruments. He has opened a newly expanded shop in Andover MN where he is
working on new designs and back ordered instruments.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| A Jerzy Drozd Signature 5. |
| Me and Paulo Manuel Contreras II. |
| Playing a Ramirez in the Shop. |
| Billy McLaughlin and I |
| The "Possible Lucille." |
| My Grandfather, Jerry, middle 1971. |