“I used to take apart all my own guitars just to see what was going on underneath,” says renowned luthier John Cruz. “Of course, I forgot how to put them back together and ruined a couple in the process, but that was definitely the part that piqued my interest early on.”
A casual, lighthearted summary of the early days of a storied career that has seen Cruz fashion instruments for rock legends, local bar-busters, weekend warriors, and every other type of six-string afficionado there is.
“Nothing ever came easy for me,” he says. “I had to pay my dues everywhere I landed on the way up, which includes sweeping the floors and cleaning out sawdust-packed machinery. I didn’t care, I just wanted to be part of a team. Anytime another job would open up, I would apply. I would get passed over by someone else that had been working for a while longer than me. I would be bummed, but kept honing-in on what I was being taught. I wanted to be the best at everything I learned.”
John’s tenacity and talent eventually led him to the Fender Custom Shop in 1993 where he further honed his skills. “I distinctly remember I was told to forget pretty much everything I learned on the production line at the time, but I never did,” he recalls. “I’m pretty sure I raised a few eyebrows and possibly changed the way certain processes were being done. I was a leader, and nobody was going to take that away from me. It was definitely hard work, but I really loved what I was doing and couldn’t wait to get the opportunity to show management what I could do.”
In 2003, Cruz got that chance when he was appointed to a Master Builder position. “It was the dream job for me, and I was not going to disappoint,” he says. “I met a lot of great people along the way that I learned from and will never forget that.” But, as the saying goes, all good things do usually come to an end and, after 33 years, John Cruz moved on, launching John Cruz Custom Guitars in late 2020.
“I knew I had the chops to continue, so I packed up my wife and pets and headed off to Tennessee to set up shop and have a go at it. Again, a lot of hard work and learning all over again, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
You’ve likely heard of some of the luminaries Cruz has crafted guitars for – Jeff Beck, Santana, Brad Whitford from Aerosmith, Slash – but of all his high-profile clients and many projects for players of all types, what stands out most to him in hindsight? “It’s always been an extreme honor to build Instruments for some of the biggest stars in the world,” he offers. “I loved every minute of it and made some great friends through it all, but I really enjoyed traveling all over the world and meeting the customers who saved their entire lives just to buy one of my guitars. That really hits home with me more than anything else because I know what it’s like to want something so much, but really have to work hard and save to get it. And I still believe that today, because without them I don’t know where I would have ended up.”
Noble sentiments, to be sure, but a few “superstar” builds still resonate to this day. “ The best ones for me were the Yngwie Malmsteen ‘Duck’ project and then getting to build two of my biggest idols’ (Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott and Gary Moore) guitars that I pitched to the company were the highlights of my career, as well as complete passion projects to be a part of.”
While Cruz has contributed to the development and refinement of multiple luthiery techniques and approaches, his unique finishes are particular standout achievements. “I can’t say I am the first to do this kind of work, but I think I did find a way to be very detail oriented on the overall look as though it was 60 years old, including paint colors, thicknesses, and aging hardware,” he explains. “I’ve always loved the look and feel of vintage guitars, but could never afford one, so I figured I would study the vintage ones and try to give the customer something they could feel they spent their kid’s entire college fund on at a fraction of the cost. Now that I’m out on my own, I’m kind of rethinking the whole heavily distressed look thing, which is still cool, but I’d rather give the guitar a nice jumpstart so to speak and let the customer take it on a journey and unfold the story on their own.”
John Cruz Custom Guitars currently fields two lines/models — the Crossville ST and the Crossville TL.
“The Crossville series are basically my own versions of two of my favorite guitar styles in the world, what the industry commonly refers to as ‘S’ and ‘T’ models,” explains Cruz. “I feel my guitars cater more to the newer generation of players these days, but still please the vintage style players out there. I originally wanted to do an entirely new design of guitar, which by the way I am still working on, but after taking a consensus from dealers, artists, and customers, they were asking me if I would still build modified ‘S’- and ‘T’-style Guitars, so that’s what I did. We’re working very hard to build a company that can deliver quality instruments for the world to create with. I don’t plan to flood the market with tons of new products; I’d rather concentrate on doing what I love to build best. But there will be new products coming in the future when the time is right.
“It’s been a challenging couple of years for all industries all over the world, but the music industry always seems to keep their heads above water. I feel grateful to be a small part of this. I also feel MI will continue to get stronger than ever. We expect to grow the business and attract new customers around the world, but will continue to concentrate on making the finest creative tools for artists, working, and novice players at the same time.
Interested dealers – the number of which has been growing steadily since John Cruz Custom Guitars was launched in late 2020 – can reach out to the company’s sales and marketing team through www.johncruzcustomguitars.com.
