About Us

My passion for instruments goes beyond building and repair work. As a working musician, who plays banjo, mandolin and guitar, I understand what a musician ultimately wants to get out of their instrument.

After studying with Bob Jones in Brooklyn NY, one of the most respected and talented luthiers in the country, I felt confident enough to take on my own clients and start Circle Strings. I was very fortunate to have Bob right next to me while I worked on my early repairs.

For over two years I was head repairman at Retrofret in Brooklyn NY with Steve Uhrik, Peter Kohman, and Jason Petty. Working with them gave me the opportunity to repair and restore some of the world's most valuable and rare instruments. It was there that I built some of my first guitars while having all of the vintage pieces, broken and playable, that I was able to study from. I worked on everything from a soprano ukulele to a Ernie Ball Earthwood bass. It was an amazing time.

VT was calling me, and raising a family in NYC was not what I wanted. I was offered a position to teach guitar building and repair at Vermont Instruments and moved up North. I spent a few years teaching and building/repairing on the side.

I then worked at Froggy Bottom Guitars and learned so much about guitar building, dedication to a craft, hard work, and most importantly, myself.

Dale has been too busy to submit his own bio, so we’ve culled these quotes and tidbits from around the web to give you a little more insight into the man, the myth, the legend: Dale Fairbanks.

”Dale’s work is inspired by the great vintage designs of the 1920s, 30s and 40s. He specializes in painstakingly crafted replicas of Gibson, Larson Brothers, Oscar Schmidt, and Regal models, drawing upon his years of experience as a specialist repairman. He mission is to take the
early designs from the golden age of the American guitar and make them as good - if not better - than the old designs.”

According to the North American Guitar Company, “a Fairbanks guitar feels like an instrument that is already the best part of 100 years old. His guitars are extremely light, resonant and his finish work is superb.”

In Dale’s own words: “I strive to reproduce the visual and aural mojo that these instruments have in spades, using traditional tonewoods and construction techniques - and, occasionally, the downright weird and always cool stylistic details that set these guitars apart.”

Jay Brown has spent the last 28 years in the woodworking and music industry. After attending the Leeds guitar making school in the mid 90's in Massachusetts, Jay set out to study music in California where he ended up getting his first production woodworking job at Roe and Company furniture maker. From there his travels and music took him to Austin and Houston, Texas where he worked for El Dorado Woodworks, Winn Wittman architecture, and Collings Guitars. After moving to Vermont with his wife and three kids, he found his way to Circle Strings.

Christina got her start in the acoustic guitar world as the Purchasing Manager for Santa Cruz Guitar Company. During her four years at SCGC, she forged strong connections with artists, dealers and vendors within the industry, which led her to meeting Adam through his luthier supply company, Allied Lutherie.

October 2021, Christina relocated to Vermont after accepting an offer to assist Adam in supporting the integral areas of the business. Over the years her role has evolved — from managing inventory, processing payroll and day-to-day operations to keep pace with the rapid growth. She now leads Sales and Marketing and also assists in customer service for the affiliate companies: Circle Strings, Fairbanks Guitars and Allied Lutherie.

While she is the only person in a guitar shop that doesn’t actually play, she appreciates the artistry of the craft and admires the skill behind each build. Maybe one of these days she’ll pick up a guitar and learn a tune or two ;)

Mathilde got lost on a field trip from Montreal in 2023. She missed the bus ride home and has been here ever since. We aren’t sure how she started working for us, one day she showed up and has been coming back since then. She’s just doing her thing and we let her. “Her thing” mostly consists of the visuals, including the studio photography you see of our instruments, most of our advertising and some social media. When she is not doing these things, she is doing that other thing where she speaks a foreign language, so we aren’t sure what those things are. For that same reason, we don’t know much about her or when she’s going back to Montreal. If you know someone who speaks French, reach out so we can start translating to learn more about her…

Matt joined Circle Strings during a period of rapid growth, bringing experience in organizational development, team leadership, and program management from over a decade at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, where he worked as an acupuncturist and later served as Clinical Program Manager for Integrative Medicine. That mix of structure, problem-solving, collaboration, and heart shapes how he approaches his work here, leading finances, supporting operations, implementing people systems, and guiding the long-range projects that help the company thrive.

Most of Matt’s work happens behind the scenes, acting as the connective tissue between ideas, people, and processes. He is not on the production benches, but he has learned to talk about purfling and kerfing with just enough confidence to get by in a guitar shop, which he considers a small triumph.

Matt is a UVM graduate and has long been planning his return to the Green Mountains. Outside of work he is a snowboarder, music enthusiast, avid gardener, and a beginner guitarist. He lives with his wife and son.

Will Hylton has been working professionally with CAD and CNC technologies since 2008. Over the years, he has collaborated with hundreds of luthiers across the industry, providing design and manufacturing expertise to both emerging and seasoned professionals.

Since joining Circle Strings in June 2019, Will has become integral to the company's evolution and success, bringing his deep knowledge and precision to support their work in the evolving world of CNC. He leads design, research and development and engineering initiatives while shaping the creative vision across Circle Strings and Allied Lutherie. His contributions have become essential to the day-to-day operations and long-term strategic direction of all our brands. 

Dom likes to have fun, and fun for Dom is working with his hands. So, making a living creating guitar parts with CNC machines is pretty awesome. Contributing to a product you believe in alongside a solid crew is an excellent way to spend a work day. 

Various technical and hands-on jobs prepared Dom for a role at Circle Strings. His attention to detail and pride in his work goes into every part he touches. 

In his free time you’ll find Dom in his home workshop tinkering with all sorts of musical devices and making art. Snowboarding in winter and tending the garden in summer are his passion.

Christian, a native of Burlington, NC, took a keen interest in music and art at an early age. As much as he enjoyed playing music, he found himself more interested in the mechanics and designs of stringed instruments, often taking things apart. 

In 2006, Christian graduated from The Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery and since then, has worked for Collings Guitars and Ellis & Pava Mandolins where he dedicated his time towards mandolin construction and highly detailed finish work. Christian joined the Circle Strings team in December 2020. He is hands-on throughout the production process on all high-end production, including assembly, neck shaping, and finish work. 

A lifelong New Englander, Tyler was born in Rhode Island, has roots in Maine, and grew up mostly in Vermont. He's been involved with the Vermont music scene for decades, and currently plays bass with local bands Swale and Rough Francis. 

His lutherie journey started with assisting Joseph Cleary in building his Campanella Stringed Instruments mandolins and violins. He has reluctantly repaired and maintained his own and friends' upright basses over the years, and feels fortunate to be learning new skills working with the knowledgeable crew at Circle Strings. 

Bio coming soon...

Audrey grew up in China Spring, TX but found herself waiting tables in Austin after studying photography and sculpture. While serving, a customer who worked at Collings Guitars encouraged her to apply. While she had no inkling of building guitars, her background lent itself to the craftsmanship required. Learning on the job, she worked with them for 12 years, culminating with a department lead position building the Waterloo line. During the pandemic, she spent another year building to high standards with Ellis and Pava mandolins until Adam and Vermont came calling to put it all towards Circle Strings.

She and her husband Andy joined the team in February 2022, so anything before then is not their fault, okay?

Will’s older brother leaves a basement full of guitars and gear when he moves out.

Will proceeds to take all those guitars apart so he can figure out how they work.

Will realizes he will have to put the guitars back together.

Will goes to the Red Wing luthier program where he learns to put guitars back together. Around here is when Will realizes this is something he can actually do. Like, long term.

Will gets a job at Santa Cruz Guitar Company. where he spends a few years bending, bracing, building and binding guitar bodies (and riding bikes).

Now Will is here at Circle Strings, happily making and fitting necks.

Will has still not fixed his brother’s old guitars.

Born and raised among the foothills of the Green Mountains, a modest upbringing meant doing things oneself. From gardening and home repair to writing and playing guitar, Willy’s childhood was steeped in the ethic of handwork.

After earning degrees in English and Philosophy in 2013, Willy explored a number of career paths before becoming a stay-at-home father in 2016. During this time he began making furniture. In 2018, Willy re-entered the work force by joining “The Joinery,” honing his skills as a woodworker. Meanwhile, the natural intersection of his two passions hurtled toward their inevitable collision.

In 2023, Willy wrote Adam explaining how desperately he didn’t need a job. A desire to apply his skills as a woodworker and build instruments had finally overcome him. That September, Willy joined Circle Strings. So far, he has yet to build a square guitar or put strings on his cabinets.

Born and raised in Colchester, Vermont, Caleb is a lifelong amateur musician and multi-instrumentalist who took to music, art, and building from an early age. While working in an electric supply warehouse, Caleb developed an interest in building instruments out of alternative materials, and eventually built a guitar out of a meter socket. After some time doing various projects and repairs to a personal arsenal of instruments and figuring out how to make instruments out of unlikely things, Caleb has been fortunate to work at Circle Strings, building alongside a fantastic crew, and some very experienced and skilled luthiers.

Andy Arazoza is a jack of all trades and master of one, having sprayed and sanded finish for 10,042 hours and counting. After completing the master program at Galloup School of Lutherie, Andy returned to his home state of Texas to finish mandolins at “Collings Guitars AND MANDOLINS.” Followed by a two year stint as most of the finish department for Moniker, Andy dove into the world of commercial beer brewing at 35. It’s basically the same thing.

And just when he thought he was out, Adam pulled him back in with an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Professional sound-hole sander and amateur Counter-Strike player, Ben Kintzley grew up in the Philadelphia area, where he developed a passion for guitars and music at a young age.

During his early years, Ben’s interest in the guitar grew even stronger, largely influenced by his uncle Rex. Spending a couple of weeks each summer in San Diego, Ben was immersed in his uncle’s love for music, which deepened his appreciation for the instrument and set him on the path he follows today.

These days, you’ll most likely find Ben sanding in the finish corridor or jamming to Alice in Chains in his car.

Before joining Circle Strings, Shane owned and operated a high-end painting and restoration business in Connecticut for over 20 years. He specialized in fine finishes and worked closely with clients on detailed, custom projects, building a reputation for craftsmanship and precision. In 2019, Shane moved to Vermont not fully knowing what his next chapter would be after so many years as a painter and business owner.

He bought his first guitar later in life and quickly got hooked — not just on playing, but on the guitars themselves. He started buying and selling them as a hobby, quickly learning that most guitars bought on eBay need a little help (or a lot). Shane always enjoyed fixing up what he calls “misfit guitars” — the ones with good bones but in need of some love. That curiosity led him to pursue formal training in guitar repair and setup.

Shane was in the early stages of starting his own repair business when he decided to reach out to Circle Strings. He's always been a hands-on, artistic person, so working in the finish department here feels like a natural fit. It’s a place where he gets to combine his eye for detail with his love of guitars — and be part of something that’s built to last.

Drew joined our team in early 2024, bringing a strong foundation in business management from Tulane University and hands-on experience in tech development from his previous role at an events company in New York City.

As the mastermind behind our inventory management and purchasing operations, Drew ensures our manufacturing departments stay stocked with the essential parts and tools they need to keep production running smoothly. If you need something, Drew either has it, is getting it or knows exactly why you can't have it yet. Beyond logistics, he provides exceptional customer service to our Allied customers and has been a driving force in navigating the company's growth, particularly through the acquisitions of Gurian Instruments and Axiom.

Outside of the shop, you'll find him on the slopes during ski season, battling it out on the hockey rink or taking orders from his real supervisor: Lola, his four-legged office manager who specializes in moral support. 

Bobby Webb is the longest-tenured employee at Circle Strings, having been around since the early days and helping out wherever he’s needed. When Adam purchased Allied Lutherie, Bobby transitioned over to the Allied side as the first employee under the new ownership and has been a steady part of the team ever since.

Over the years, he’s worked in just about every part of the guitar-building process, picking up a little bit of everything along the way. Bobby feels lucky to be part of such a talented crew—and genuinely loves the work he gets to do every day.

Al Holzer grew up in the small town of Thetford, VT. He spent his days learning carpentry from his father and developing a passion for music on his own time. After becoming an adult, Al figured he’d need to find something productive to do with the rest of his life, so he decided to put his two passions together. He packed up, moved to Burlington, and worked as an apprentice for Circle Strings, eventually graduating to the official position of Mill Associate, where he contentedly remains to this day.