Stan VanDruff (Web Guy)

I love music of many genres, but I've had no musical training beyond the cowbell in 1st grade. By 1997, I desperately wanted to learn an instrument. My father taught me woodworking as a wee lad, so I decided to build a guitar (a pipe organ was my second choice). I finished my first steel-string in 1999, and before the lacquer was dry, I took it to the ASIA Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee.

I was amazed by the openness and friendless of the luthiers and players I met in there. Up till then I didn't plan to build more instruments, but after the symposium, I knew I wanted to be around this kind of people. I now build a small number of steel string acoustics and electric guitars each year.

I am an electrical engineer by trade, but creating websites has been a sideline since the first web browser was created. I've been working on the ASIA website since 2009 and I hope—through slow and steady progress—to build it into a unique and valuable resource for members.