Out of the Woodwork

Adirondack trees are instrumental to Steve Smith’s Success

by Karl Schlobohm

On a small, winding road just outside the hamlet of Brant Lake sits S. L. Smith Fine Carpentry, where Steve Smith creates his signature acoustic guitars. When you enter the shop, you’ll see a beautifully organized space with tools no more complicated than a drill press or a miter saw.

Smith, 42, built custom homes and furniture for more than two decades. Since shifting his focus to guitars, in 2007, he’s made more than 20 instruments, including one for Levon Helm, former member of the ’60s and ’70s group the Band. It takes him about a month and a half to finish a custom order. “All my work is done almost completely by hand, because I like to actually feel what I’m making,” he says. “When I complete something, I can rest assured that my hands have been all over my work.”

Smith points out his latest project—a guitar with a soundboard of myrtle wood, a material known for its smooth tone and beautiful grain. On his workbench, a vise holds another frame and soundboard, this one crafted from pale, dark-striped zebrawood.

He’s drawn to simple designs that emphasize quality and texture. “I’ve found that most people aren’t concerned with gaudy ornamentation. I love to build guitars that have natural beauty, great quality and incredible sound,” says Smith. He uses an oil finish to highlight the grain, rather than the shiny lacquer that covers most factory-produced brands.

Smith’s customers often order materials or request specifications that are unavailable at other shops. He says that most people want Adirondack spruce tops—wood once favored by Hank Williams Jr. and Johnny Cash—because of its “beautiful aesthetic and sound.” But each instrument is unique. “I try to create what will best suit the customer,” he explains—a process that starts with a lengthy phone interview or face time. The product can cost between $1,800 and $2,500.

As a musician—Smith plays bass, drums and piano, as well as guitar—he trusts his taste in music and natural aesthetics to design instruments perfect for players. In his downtime he strums his own walnut-and-spruce creation, heading up the S. L. Smith Band, a seven-man country group that tours the Adirondacks and just finished recording its first album in Nashville. He also offers weekly guitar-playing and song-writing lessons and, more recently, guitar-building workshops.

 His craft “is a combination of the things that I enjoy the most in life,” he says. “Carpentry and music are my passions.”

For more information call (518) 494-3514 or see www.guitars.slsmith.info.