Retired Naval Academy Band member builds, repairs guitars

Jim Cunningham's retirement comes with strings attached. But that's just the way he wants it.

The 55-year-old Edgewater resident, who spent a quarter-century with the Naval Academy Band, now makes and repairs guitars. And when he's not doing that, he's playing gigs in the area.

"I think he brings to the building and repair business (the skills) of a really good professional player," said Peter Paglia of Atlantic Woodworks in Annapolis, where Cunningham has his work space. "He knows how a guitar should be played."

Paglia, who builds guitars himself, added that his friend never cuts corners and does whatever it takes to craft a fine instrument.

Cunningham, who has been playing guitar since his teens, got his start in the repair business while he was still with the academy band, learning the ropes at a local music shop. He built a few instruments then, too, but his workload really picked up after he retired in 2004. He was in military bands a total of 30 years, playing with a Navy fleet band before coming to the academy.

"I really enjoy doing this," Cunningham said last month, running his hands over a 1929 Kay Kraft guitar he's in the process of fixing. "There's a sense of pride and accomplishment."The bulk of Cunningham's business still comes from repairs, and they can be quite extensive on some instruments. He's built just a few guitars from scratch in the past five years, working on those only when he gets an order. He doesn't advertise, so the requests come strictly by word of mouth.

But given the amount of time it takes to build an instrument, it's doubtful he could ever mass-produce guitars anyway. Nor does he want to. He relishes the attention and care he can put into them.

To get an idea just how involved the process is, consider that Cunningham's most recent creation, a gleaming, ruby red seven-string archtop guitar, took more than 100 hours spread out over two years to complete. It takes a lot of skill to bend, carve and fit the wood properly, he explained.

Cunningham said his workmanship has improved since he retired, both as a result of experience and schooling. He attended a guitar-making workshop in Pennsylvania right after he left the academy, and the yellow archtop he plays resulted from that class.

Cunningham began playing guitar at age 14. At the time, he joked that he picked up the instrument "to get girls." In actuality, it was a little of that - and a lot of curiosity about the instrument itself, from its sounds to its construction.

"I found it fascinating, and still find it fascinating," he said. "I play every day."

Local jazz icon Joe Byrd of Edgewater said Cunningham's talent shines through in both his performances and his craftsmanship.

"Jim is an amazing guy … so much talent," Byrd said. "His instruments are such high quality. And of course, his jazz chops are wonderful, too. Jim's 'retirement' after so many years in Navy bands has been fun to watch."

Just playing around

Dick Rausch, who plays guitar with Cunningham monthly, stopped in to Atlantic Woodworks recently just to get a look at the red archtop.

He was awed from the get-go, and even more impressed when he started playing it.

"This guitar is the equivalent of driving a Lamborghini," he said, grinning. "The sound is just gorgeous. There's no one around here that builds archtops. This is like violin construction."

Minutes later, when the two had an impromptu jam session, the entire workshop filled with deep, rich tones. Cunningham likes to play all the guitars he works on before giving them back to their owners, just to make sure they're up to spec.

"If it's not right for me," he explained, "it's not right for any other player."

A couple days after completing the red archtop, he took it to his regular weekend gig in Annapolis. It got a rousing response from the other musicians, he said, who characterized the sound as making "every single note clean and pure."

The guitar will eventually make its way to its owner, Gary Kerner of Pikesville. Kerner said he tried out Cunningham's yellow archtop during a break at a gig they were playing and asked the craftsman to make him a seven-string model. Cunningham's guitar has six strings.

"It sounded good, it looked good, and I know he does nice work," Kerner said. A musician himself, he said he doesn't mind waiting a little longer for his guitar while Cunningham puts it through its paces. "The only way you get a decent seven-string is to be have one made," he said.

Annapolis musician and artist Neil Harpe is another fan. "He's a real master," Harpe said. "He's a musician and a darn good one, and a hell of a nice guy."

Cunningham repairs antique Stella guitars for Harpe. "They play like brand new guitars, but they still look like antiques," Harpe explained. "In Annapolis, there's no one else who does what he does - and if there is, they don't do it as well."

For more information on Cunningham's guitar work, call 410-212-7803.