Jim Triggs is an American luthier

Luthier

A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...

, described as the "P.T. Barnum of guitar makers." He grew up in Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

, where he taught himself how to build mandolin

Mandolin

A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

s and violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

s. He began building guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

s in the early 1980s, influenced by such luthiers as John D'Angelico

John D'Angelico

John D'Angelico was a luthier from New York City, noted for his handmade archtop guitars and mandolins.In 1952, he hired Jimmy D'Aquisto as an apprentice, who would eventually buy the business from the D'Angelico family...

, Elmer Stromberg

Stromberg Guitars

Stromberg Guitars was an American company producing guitars, mainly for jazz musicians, between 1906 and 1955. They produced only around 640 guitars, and while their craftsmanship, though of high standards, is considered less than that of John D'Angelico, Stromberg's guitars are praised for their...

, and Lloyd Loar

Lloyd Loar

Lloyd Allayre Loar was a Gibson sound engineer and master luthier in the early part of the 20th century. He is most famous for his F5 model mandolin, L5 guitar, H5 mandola, K5 mandocello, and A5 mandolin....

, and went to work for Gibson Guitar Corporation

Gibson Guitar Corporation

The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...

 in 1986 as one of the master luthiers in Gibson's custom shop. He is known mainly for archtop guitar

Archtop guitar

An archtop guitar is a steel-stringed acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar with a full body and a distinctive arched top, whose sound is particularly popular with blues and jazz players.Typically, an archtop guitar has:* 6 strings...

s and mandolins.

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