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 David Schneider has been making musical instruments for 27 years and has studied with some of the best luthiers in the world.Since he was a young boy, his father inspired in him a love for fine craftsmanship. He first learned about making guitars in high school in Greenwich, Connecticut from luthier Harold Whittle. David was blessed with the great fortune to study with world-renowned luthier Jim D'Aquisto in his Farmingdale, Long Island shop in the 1970's.
D'Aquisto taught David to approach instrument making in a unique way: to make instruments with "feeling" instead of conforming to the standards that have been used unchanged for centuries. David feels that D'Aquisto passed something on to him in the form of "internal" knowledge, which is the most valuable form of education which can be imparted from teacher to student. During the process of creation, that internal knowledge is transferred from the heart of the maker to the instrument. This direct transference of energy doesn't happen in factory settings or in any type of mass-production. David is continuing the tradition of D'Aquisto by making the "whole" instrument by himself. D'Aquisto taught David that the instrument should be constructed as a unified whole from the very beginning, with its sound shaped to the customer's preference. David feels that when he lovingly crafts an instrument, his essence is felt and heard in the finished product.
David also had an apprenticeship with Lawrence D. Brown, learning the construction techniques of lute making and other Medieval and Renaissance instruments. During that time, he made eleven lutes and a vihuela. Brown is a remarkably gifted luthier who passed on many techniques and traditions that influence David's instrument making to this day
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 David traveled to India five times to learn the techniques and philosophy of the Indian luthiers and sages who have taught him some of the most valuable knowledge he has learned. This knowledge has helped David "instill" into his instruments his "being" or soul, creating an instrument that is "alive." The philosophy of the sages is that instruments are beings in themselves, and are to be treated as such, with love and respect.
 American Indian traditions are also incorporated into David's method of instrument making. Wood is from the earth, and therefore contains earth energy, which he feels is the same essence that is shared by all living things. Feeling the connection with that essence involves listening to what the wood is saying while shaping the sound of the instruments. David lovingly and respectfully embraces the woods and other natural materials he uses because he feels they are gifts from the Spirit and not to be taken for granted.
David's instruments cost more than mass-produced instruments because, like D'Aquisto's instruments were, they are crafted by one person. He continues the "old school" philosophy of one person making the whole instrument for balance of tone, harmony, and quality control. Words cannot express the beauty and tone of these hand-crafted instruments.
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