Hal Chernoff I was a new player by most standards, 3 years, as well as a late starter at 45 years old. But I felt it. The all consuming want/need to make beautiful sounds come out of the acoustic guitar. So every minute I wasn't busy, I practiced. Even now, I still can't wait to get home, to write, play, noodle or whatever. I guess I have become what they all call a singer/songwriter. I write the thoughts of a man that has been through only what I have been through, put it to music and hope that my songs convey the emotion they were written with. Should one person feel that emotion in my music, I will wear the term proudly. But because just playing the guitar was not enough, I wanted to learn about them inside out. I subscribed to the magazine that I felt had that same passion that I did, "Acoustic Guitar Magazine", and I bought guitars. That first one was a "cheapy" to see if I would like playing ... and I did! The next one was something that everyone would notice more for it's name than how I played it. Then I started to settle down and look for what really counted, fit, feel and sound ... Again, I found it. But my need went deeper, to a place I don't talk about much. I wanted a spiritual connection between me and my guitar. That bond created that feels just right on the inside and can even be seen from the outside, and once again, I found it. With help from Acoustic Guitar Magazine, I read a feature story on California Luthier, Kathy Wingert. I rolled the decision back and forth and thought it out logically. I reminded myself of how hard my own wife had to work to prove herself in the traditionally male dominated occupation of an attorney and so it made complete sense to me that the same holds true in the world of guitar building. The decision was bolstered even more when the head of Santa Cruz Guitar Company, Richard Hoover stated "you will be very happy with Kathy, she is a very talented builder". Done. Make the call. I explained what I was looking for and the line of communication opened for us to get to know each other. As she learned about my music, my style and most of all about me, she helped guide me through the maze of decisions that need to be made. We talked back and forth on the phone many times, zeroing in on what was perfect for me. Because of the uniqueness of the inlay, I chose another name I had seen in Acoustic Guitar Magazine, Bordeaux Custom Inlays. Paul Bordeaux was easy to talk to, open to my ideas and yet reserved and cautious about injecting his own artistic advice. He knew there would be a time to make suggestions and they would present themselves at the right time. Now I had enlisted the two people that I believed to be the best choices in making my dream guitar and aside from marrying the right woman, it was one of the smartest things I have ever done. Kathy poured her heart and soul into the making of the guitar, while Paul agonized over the minute details of the inlay. I don't think it hurt knowing that a top luthier was going to be working on the same project as a top inlay artist. Having them look over each others shoulders causes me to believe that they each took it to a higher level. It's what I believe anyhow, because when you look at this guitar, when you pick it up and play it, you see and hear why this instrument is so special and unique. The tragic loss of my four year old son over twenty years ago was the catalyst for the thoughts that I never spoke out loud until I picked up a guitar. After I started playing, it didn't seem like work to write songs, I just wrote years of thoughts, questions, answers and feelings. In fact they were harder to keep in than to get out, although some were difficult to write. When my son was hit by an automobile in 1980, there was a thick cloud of confusion that settled over me, some call it shock. People all around you trying to make the worst of situations better, to no avail. It was at the funeral ceremony on that hot July day that a big butterfly landed on my son's casket just before being lowered into the ground, and it was for that brief second that I had one crystal clear thought: "could that mean something, or is it just a coincidence ... " Years later, I was to receive an award for volunteer work I do with at risk kids in the sport of amateur boxing. It is given to one person each year on July 4th. As I sat on the outdoor stage next to my assistant coach, I debated whether to bring up the fact that I was getting this award 20 years to the day of my son's death, coincidence maybe? But i resigned myself to keep it light, talk about the program and thank the kind people of my community for the award. While I was being introduced to go up and say a few words, a butterfly landed at my foot between my assistant coach and myself. There were 25 other people on that stage, area politicians, representatives of the area VFW's and others, but one lone butterfly landed by my foot. Coincidence? Maybe. But for one quick moment I thought "could this mean anything?" I spoke of my son that day and how receiving this award on this day was an omen that working with these young kids and running this program is the right thing for me to be doing. I have had unusual dreams about a single black butterfly and I am done attributing it to a coincidence. The theme for the guitar came from that personal place I said I don't like to talk about, but I did. I did it for Kathy Wingert and I did it for Paul Bordeaux, for their dedication to perfection and for what they gave me. The SVC cutaway guitar is dedicated to my son Shannon Victor Chernoff. It is the second sweetest thing I have ever seen or heard. Thank you Kathy and Paul Testimonials  |  Wingert Guitars In Publications  |  Proluthier.com