Nightflying: The Entertainment Guide

---David Hughes

     Hot Springs can lay claim to any number of interesting, fun, unusual and unique things. From the lakes and mountains that surround it to the roaring ‘20’s feel to the food to the horse races to the people themselves, the Spa City carves many a niche for it’s varied and colorful existence.
    You can find lots of things to do and people to visit around this part of Arkansas. Something a body might not expect to find in Hot Springs though is a luthier. And not just one either. There are two… count’em…two, luthiers that call the Spa City home.
     For those of you scratching your heads wondering what a luthier is…well, I’m glad you asked. A luthier, by official definition, is someone who makes or repairs stringed instruments. In other words, these cats are guitar makers.
In case you want to know a little more, and I know you do, the term actually comes from the French word for lute. The craft of luthiery is divided into two categories, one for stringed instruments that are plucked or strummed such as guitars, banjos and the like, and stringed instruments that are bowed, such as the cello or fiddle and so forth. The latter is actually called an archetier. That may seem trivial to you, the casual reader, but to folks in this business it could be fightin’ words.
    Alright, the history lesson is over. Back to the real story here… There are two real, live, authentic guitar makers in Hot Springs. Vapor Valley Guitars and Clevenger Custom Guitars now call the Spa City home.
David Fry and Nathan Ritter are a pair of well traveled locals who have re-surfaced at 340 Ouachita Avenue with Vapor Valley Guitars (telephone 501-282-2638).
    “My experience with guitars began with listening” says Fry. “I listened to the raw rock ‘n’ roll guitar of Pete Townshend, the unearthly sounds of Jimi Hendrix, and the way that a guitar takes on a rhythmic percussion feel in the hands of Kaki King. The more I listen, the more appreciation I have for the infinite language of the guitar.”
    Fry has developed quite a pedigree as a guitar maker. Following graduation from the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery he went on to train under Terry Mcinturff and Keith McMurty at Terry Mcinturff Guitars. From there, Fry landed at Modulus, building bass guitars and then paired up with Andrew Jordan to create Alcatraz Guitars, an outsource company that specialized in necks and bodies for high end electric guitars. The last stop for Fry before coming to Hot Springs was Production and Sales Manager for RKS Guitars.
    Ritter brings over 20 years of studio engineering, building and performing experience to the partnership. With a Bachelor of Science in Recording Industry Production and Technology, Ritter provides the muscle needed to develop, build, modify or repair the electronics involved in the music industry. His expertise ranges from amplifiers to condenser & ribbon microphones, effects & pickups to all manner of studio and live performance gear.
    “As a veteran guitarist and vocalist of many past bands I use my personal performance experience, technical experience and studio ear-training to build, fine tune and customize equipment to ‘make it right’ for each individual.” States Ritter.
    Fry and Ritter have a lot going on in their store/shop. From repairs and maintenance, to building tube amps and electric guitars, to ‘hot rodding’ guitars (that’s their version of Pimp My Guitar), VVG basically offer a full service guitar shop. In addition to the instruments in the store, you can also pick up playing lessons.
    “I’ve seen a lot of guitar stores and I wanted this to be like a little LA boutique store for guitars” says Fry.
Vapor Valley Guitars opened up officially the first Friday in December. The store carries various lines of guitars including Eastwood, Recording King and AXL. They are also working on their own line of Vapor Valley guitars and tube amps. The guitars will be unveiled this spring at the Nashville NAMM. Each guitar that is built in the store takes approximately three months to go from concept to completion.
    “My guitars are inspired by the classic models of Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker and Gretsch. These are the guitars that have made music history in the hands of great musicians” says Fry. “I design with a classic simplicity that never goes out of style and I build guitars the way they were meant to be built…by hand. I believe that the blood, sweat and love I put into every guitar is what gives each guitar its soul…I make sure no guitar leaves my shop until it is something that I am proud to mark with my name.”
    “Musicians are constantly expanding the vocabulary of the guitar by writing new music and even through playing in new ways. I have chosen to become a part of this evolution by providing a high quality guitar” Fry continues. “Imagine some kid pullin’ out his grand dad’s guitar 50 years from now. A guitar that I made. I’ll be creating music long after I’m gone.”
    Fry and Ritter are both musicians which adds to their abilities as true builders of musical instruments and amplifiers. “We’re just a couple of cool dudes that make guitars.”

    Bert Clevenger is the owner of Clevenger Custom Guitars, a business that was based out of his home shop.
    “They won’t let me run the woodworking machine in the condo” says Celvenger. “Go figure.”
    Clevenger got started in the guitar making business around 1982.
    “A friend and I both purchased second hand guitars at a pawn shop in our hometown. We promptly stripped off the existing finish and painted them with geometric stripes to make them look like the guitar finish of a famous rock star. We did a terrible job but had fun doing it.”
    Since then, Clevenger’s love for building guitars has far surpassed his ability to play them. Over the years Clevenger has built guitars under various names including Berenger, de’Bert and DCB. Eventually, his partner and spouse convinced him to simply use his last name.
    “With her sense of style and impeccable choice of colors, her many contributions to the operation are invaluable.”
    Clevenger has basically taught himself the trade of guitar making. Using third party vendors for the parts he cannot make himself, such as the electronics, Clevenger does the rest by hand.
    “For a number of years this was simply a hobby that paid for itself…I would purchase guitars at pawn shops and either part them out…or refinish them and sell them. Over time this hobby evolved into building the instruments from the ground up.”
    “I work the wood, my wife applies the color, I apply the lacquer then buff it to a gloss, I install the electronics and set up the actions. I take the photographs. I even set up the website.”
    Clevenger Custom Guitars is a small, artisan shop with no crew, no office staff and no Human Resources Department, no store front, no shopping cart and no office staff. It is, quite literally, a ‘mom and pop’ operation.
    There are four basic styles offered by Clevenger along with custom designs. The Enamorada is characterized by a medium sized, contoured top horn and a smaller bottom horn with a deep, scooped cutaway for access to the high frets. The Solverana model is similar to the Enamorada except it is marked by a blunt, rounded top horn. The Estrella is characterized by two opposing horns of equal size and length. The Magica style is noted by its more traditional double cut-away design.
    “Although we routinely build our guitars according to (the) four basic designs, since they are each hand crafted, no two are exactly alike. We also work closely with our friends to accommodate their own design specifications and preferences.”
    “We strive for perfection and settle for nothing less than an exceptional product.”
    Check out Celvenger Custom Guitars at www.clevenger-guitars.com.
    Next time you’re surfing the web or when you are in town take a look at what these custom guitar makers have to offer…exceptional products from exceptional talents. You’ll be glad you stopped by.

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