“At Pomeroy Instruments, established in 2001, we’ve established a firm and consistent approach, combining traditional techniques with modern building concepts to create what I believe are some of the finest instruments anywhere. And as a small custom shop, my instruments are truly hand crafted, one at a time. Without the demands and pressures of a production oriented workplace, I focus on love for the craft. Each instrument is unique”.
-from the home page of the original Pomeroy website
I began my mandolin building career in Glenwood Springs, Colorado in 2001. It seemed a perfect fit, combining a prolific woodworking career with my musical passions. But I had never intended to become a full time luthier. One thing led to another, with my first few attempts taken up quickly by family members and friends. And I was enjoying the learning process so much, I kept putting off returning to my small contracting business, which had worn me out over the years. Eventually I became convinced that maybe I could do this for the long term and decided on “Pomeroy” as a name for my fledgling, little business. That was my mom’s maiden name. Even though I’m proud of my historical lineage as a “Paine”, I realized that it was likely no one wanted to see that on the headstock of their new mandolin. After all, mandolins are hard enough to learn to play and sometimes there is some pain involved! “Pomeroy” just seemed a better fit, and I was a Pomeroy too.
Specializing in F-5 Gibson archtop replicas in the beginning, it wasn’t long before demands grew and I was building different models, including mandolas and octave mandolins. Over the years, my A style oval hole mandolins have become a favorite, combining traditional Gibson designs with a bold new tone that some customers have described as “an old Gibson on steroids”. And as an Old Time and Irish player myself, they became my personal favorites.
So here I am, still making mandolins, some 23 years later. To date, I’ve created over 300 mandolin ‘family’ instruments, a few dozen fiddles and even a few custom guitars for friends. Many of these can be seen on the Recently Completed page or in the Gallery section. Most of them have been custom orders.
I want to acknowledge everyone that’s helped me along the way, and to all of my customers that have trusted me to build these one of a kind instruments. I consider my life choice to take this simple path a blessing. From the bottom of my heart, Thank you!
Don Paine, October 2024