Greg Byers is among the most respect luthiers in America.  His road toward becoming a luthier, however, was unusual. In 1979, while doing research for his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology he met a guitar maker in Puerto Rico, and decided he would like to build a guitar some day.  Returning to Tucson,  he finished his dissertation (University of Arizona 1981), and built a guitar which he showed to Tom Patterson, (the head of the guitar program at the UA). Encouraged by Tom to continue building, so he enrolled in a workshop taught by Jose Romanillos, and "never looked back." John Gilbert also has had a strong influence on his work. David Russell and David Tanenbaum are among the many concert guitarists who play his instruments. 

This guitar build in 2009 shows he made the right choice. It is a quintessential example of his best work. The guitar belongs to a professor of music at a major university-- who knows guitars who is selling a few of his guitars. This guitar has been kept in pristine condition. It has an elevated fingerboard, with a 20th fret extension. Twelve hole bridge. This guitar is clean--no cracks, repairs. The set-up is perfect. The tone and power of this instrument can only be appreciated when one hears or plays it.