BARRY’S BIOGRAPHY

I STARTED PLAYING BLUEGRASS MANDOLIN OVER 30 YEARS AGO AND HAD OWNED MANY STYLES AND BRANDS OF CHEAPER MANDOLINS. IN 1980 I HAD BOUGHT A CUSTOM F STYLE FROM A THEN PROMINENT BUILDER. I HAD THAT MANDOLIN FOR LESS THEN A YEAR AND THE TOP COLLAPSED. I RETURNED IT TO THE BUILDER, WHO THEN RETOPPED IT AND I GOT IT BACK A YEAR LATER. 8 MONTHS LATER, THE SECOND TOP COLLAPSED.I KNEW AT THAT POINT THERE HAD TO BE A BETTER WAY !!. I BEGAN BY GOING TO LIBRARIES TO SEEK OUT BOOKS ON INSTRUMENT BUILDING. FOR THE NEXT 8 YEARS I RESEARCHED IN THOSE BOOKS AND PICKED THE BRAINS OF AS MANY LUTHIERS AND BUILDERS THAT WOULD TALK TO ME. IN THE MEAN TIME, THAT COLLASPED MANDOLIN WAS SITTING IN A CLOSET SOMEWHERE, AND I HAD AGAIN RETURNED TO PLAYING CHEAPER NON CUSTOM MANDOLINS. IN 1990 I HAD MET MARK GRESHAM FROM MELDRIM GEORGIA AT A BLUEGRASS PICKING PARTY. WE TALKED AT LENGTH ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF BUILDING A MANDOLIN TOGETHER. HE, UP UNTILL THAT TIME HAD BUILT ONLY ABOUT 10 GUITARS. WE ORDERED ROGER SIMINOFFS "HOW TO BUILD A MANDOLIN" BOOK, ORDERED A BOXED WOOD SET FROM LMI AND WE WERE ON OUR WAY!

THAT FIRST MANDOLIN WAS A FIRST CLASS PIECE OF JUNK, BUT WE WERE PROUD OF IT JUST THE SAME. THE SECOND MANDOLIN CAUGHT THE INTEREST OF DON RIGSBY, AT THAT TIME OF LONESOME RIVER BAND FAME. WE WERE OFFICIALLY "K & G" MANDOLINS NOW. THROUGH THE NEXT 9 YEARS WE CONTINUED TO BUILD MANDOLINS AND GUITARS, AND EXACT TOTAL OF INSTRUMENTS NOT KNOWN, BUT ESTIMATED AROUND 60 OR SO. ALSO THAT CUSTOM MANDOLIN RECIEVED A NEW TOP AND WAS SOLD, NEVER TO BE HEARD FROM AGAIN. DURING THOSE YEARS WE HAD THE PLEASURE OF BUILDING FOR 7 OF THE MOST NOTABLE MANDOLIN PLAYERS OF THAT TIME, INCLUDING DON, JOHN RIGSBY, ADAM CLARK, SHAWN LANE AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS. MARK AND I PARTED FRIENDLY WAYS IN 2000, HE STILL BUILDS FINE INSTRUMENTS. I HAD A HIATUS FROM BUILDING FOR 3 YEARS BECAUSE OF MY INVOLVEMENT IN THE GULF WAR. DECEMBER 2004 SAW THE BUILDING OF "BULLDOG“# 2, AND HAVE BEEN ENJOYING BUILDING EVER SINCE, WITH THE ADDITION OF A NEW PARTNER, MY WIFE SABINE.

WE HAVE, TO THIS DATE, BUILT 30 INSTRUMENTS. JANUARY 2008 BROUGHT A NEW TWIST TO MY LIFE; I RETIRED FROM THE AIR FORCE WITH 35 YEARS SERVICE, SO I WILL MAKE AN ATTEMPT AT BUILDING FULL TIME NOW. ALL MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS A BUILDER WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE HELP AND GUIDANCE FROM MARK GRESHAM, RANDY WOOD, AND A BIG THANK YOU TO YOU BOTH. AND TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE, THANKS

“DEDICATED TO TOP QUALITY AT AN AFFORDABLE CUSTOM PRICE"

"IF YOU DONT BUY A "BULLDOG" WE BOTH LOSE”