Innovator and Industry Leader
Bryan Galloup has been a Luthier for over 45 years but it was as a musician he first identified the variables amongst guitars and the disparity between an effective and inefficient instrument. This information became fundamental to Bryan’s understanding of world-class musical instruments and what he communicates to the Galloup team, and, of course, to each one of his students at the Galloup School of Lutherie.
One achievement the Galloup team recognizes our ability to work together with a parallel commitment to our craft. This teamwork led to the conception of Bryan’s Studios, a bonded group of Luthiers who understand that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Today, Bryan’s Studios is recognized as a premier guitar building team producing designs that are some of the most replicated and sought after in the world. But it’s the sound of their instruments that is the most notable topic and ultimately, their biggest contribution to the guitar making community.
Additionally, Bryan pioneered techniques that have become staples of the guitar industry and therefore is recognized as an innovator in the community. These innovations include neck re-setting and fretting techniques, tools and jigs that are widely used through out the industry. But it’s his custom guitars that are the true testament of his pursuit of excellence that works to exemplify an uncompromising attention to detail.
Bryan’s work has been well documented in major publications such as Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Player, Guitar World, Vintage Guitar, The Guild of American Luthiers, The Association of String instrument Artisans and The Fret Board Journal. Currently Bryan is a co-columnist for Premier Guitar Magazine’s “Acoustic Soundboard” with fellow contemporizes, Richard Johnson (Gryphon Guitars), Chris Martin III (Martin Guitar Co.) and Andy Powers Guitars (Taylor Guitars). As a consultant, Bryan has assisted industries with prototyping and development of guitar lines, team development and instrument voicing to redefined their views of guitar making.
But it’s the Galloup shop that is the backbone of our operations that holds a special place in the industry. Even though it’s grown into an 11,000 square foot facility, the foundation is still an old-school guitar shop where integrity of the instrument is paramount.
Thousands of guitars have pass through Bryan’s doors, and it’s this combined experience that provides the quality customers expect and deserve. It’s our intent to use this knowledge to give back to our industry advancing the guitar making community’s understanding of musical instrument making.
The Galloup School was officially founded in 1988 to fill the demand for quality Luthiers. Now, over thirty years later, the Galloup School has trained students numbering in the thousands, with graduates working in every aspect of the industry. From the beginning, Bryan never understood why a student might select a training facility if its instructors did not actively contribute to their prospective markets.
Therefore, each team member builds, restores or innovates keeping them relevant at every level. The Galloup team are leaders and their contributions can be seen through our industry. This is the lays the foundation for a quality education and what each lesson we teach is founded on.
This has earned the Galloup School an international reputation as the premier school for training the next generation of qualified Luthiers. And through our innovations, every student not only understands the foundations of Lutherie, they also are exposed to industry leading techniques that prepare them for what is just around the corner. From the beginner to the most advanced student, the Galloup team has the experience to deliver the information in easy to understand and easy to apply techniques.