About this episode

Otto D'Ambrosio discusses his dual role as a luthier and Chief Designer at Eastman Guitars, sharing insights on his journey and design innovations.

For episode 112 of the podcast, I'm talking with Otto D'Ambrosio. Otto wears two hats—as a solo luthier and Chief Designer at Eastman Guitars—and he walks us through his journey from working with legends like Flip Scipio, John Monteleone, and Carl Thompson to his role today, bridging the gap between hands-on building and production design. We talk about how the pandemic pushed him into 3D CAD, changing the way he collaborates with Eastman's workshops, and dive into some of his design work—including the Fullertone neck system, his boutique archtop builds, and an upcoming project comparing domestic and European tonewoods. Links: https://dambrosioguitars.com/ Luthier on Luthier is hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars and brought to you by the Fretboard Journal . This episode is sponsored by the Looth Group , Dream Guitars and StewMac . Michael Bashkin's Hub of Acoustics 2026 US Academy: https://hubofacoustics.com/en/#Colorado_Academy

People in this episode

Host: Michael Bashkin

Guest: Otto D'Ambrosio

Topics covered

• luthier
• guitar design
• 3D CAD
• tonewoods
• interview

Keywords

• luthier
• guitar
• design
• 3D CAD
• tonewoods
• Eastman Guitars
• interview

Sponsors

Looth Group, Dream Guitars, StewMac

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Eastman Guitars, Bashkin Guitars, Fretboard Journal

Places: Colorado

More episodes of Luthier on Luthier with Michael Bashkin

• 115. Marco Bortolozzo · July 1, 2026 · 57 min
• 114. Thierry André · May 28, 2026 · 1h 15m
• 113. Sean McGowan · April 28, 2026 · 58 min
• 111. Raymond Kraut · February 27, 2026 · 1h 9m
• 110. Ben Wilborn · January 30, 2026 · 1h 9m
• 109. Juha Ruokangas · December 29, 2025 · 1h 25m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Luthier on Luthier with Michael Bashkin podcast page.