Driftwood Studio & Driftwood Guitars

Today I drove to Freeport to visit Chris Alvarado. Chris is an amazing musician, original singer & songwriter. What you may not know is that Chris also built a recording studio from the ground up, and also designs and builds acoustic string instruments…again from the ground up. You have likely heard how incredibly talented he is, the last CD he released was perfection from the first song to the last. Some of you (like myself) may have been lucky enough to land his last album on vinyl, something you don’t see very often anymore. His acoustic performances and his own recording were not why I cruised out there, it was to see his recording and guitar building studios. Introducing Driftwood Studio, and Driftwood Guitars. Let’s start with the studio, state of the art. It’s gorgeous, and warm. From the outside looking in, it looks like a spaceship control room. To Chris, this is his command center…he knows exactly what each button, bell and whistle does. Heck, he built it all! The diffusers are as functional as they are cool looking, the ceiling decor is also functional, and constructed with wood pallet pieces from France and Denmark. I can’t begin to tell you exactly what all the other equipment was exactly, but it all makes for unbelievable sounding recordings. Chris’s focus is to pick up a crisp clear sound, and he completely accomplishes that. When playing back a track, close your eyes and it really feels as if you are in the room with the vocalist and band members, submersed in perfect sound. THIS IS THE PLACE TO RECORD ACOUSTICS! If that isn’t impressive in itself, walk out to his converted garage, and there is a string instrument guitar workshop. Again, attention to every detail. Chris selects the best quality material available, and hand crafts one of a kind instruments to order for his customers. He can tell you in detail the background of every material, it’s uses and benefits, as well as the tools used to construct the final product. Chris does a ton of cutting, but one thing he does not cut are corners. Each instrument takes 4-6 months minimum to complete for his clients. His first guitar was constructed in 2007, and since he has made several guitars, mandolins, ukuleles, banjos, and other string instruments. Chris doesn’t measure success by financial gain or fame, but by the ability to support and spend time with his wife and new son that he obviously loves more than anything, all while living and his passions and dreams of doing what he loves the most — creating quality recording, and especially designing instruments. It is very important to him that he leaves a legacy behind when his days are over, and though he is only in his younger 30s, Chris has already achieved those goals, but is going to continue to build on that legacy. Much love to Chris Alvarado, great work my friend!