Normally, there are many long wooden boards bracing a guitar on the inside, so it doesn’ t cave in from the pressure of the strings – about 180 pounds – and around the center hole, which creates a severe weak spot. The Boulder Creek design uses two lengthwise, aluminum suspended braces, allowing the wood to move and vibrate, with only three regular braces. The suspension system allows the sound to continue instead of stopping, and musicians can feel it through their bodies.
“ The sound goes on and on,” Juli said. That’ s why they’ re able to list more than 100 artists— including Sarah McLachlan, Air Supply, Pat Benatar, Fleetwood Mac, and Rascal Flatts— who use Boulder Creek instruments.
Their signature look is the instruments without a center hole, with a small side hole for musicians to hear the sound. However, they also offer their instruments with or without the traditional center hole.“ Some people were uncomfortable with a solid front,” Jeff explains.“ So, when we do sell the standard looking instruments, the center hole was really added for aesthetics— for placebo.”
While Jeff would love to make all Boulder Creek’ s products in the United States, he’ s committed to making a quality product for musicians who can’ t afford to spend a fortune on their instruments. When Jeff was young, a friend who owned a guitar shop in Gilroy told Jeff to invest in his musical gift, but he couldn’ t afford a guitar with a good sound at the time. It took him years to save the money. With this new design, Boulder Creek Guitars has created a $ 3000 sound for $ 800. Customers can still opt to purchase custom instruments made in the USA for a greater investment. In fact, the same friend who sold Jeff that first good guitar is custommaking instruments for Boulder Creek Guitars in Gilroy.
Jeff’ s roots to the community and music travel back even further than his first guitar. He grew up in Morgan Hill on a ranch riding horses, and started playing the drums at two years old, and continued in marching and jazz bands through grade school and high school. He started performing on the drums in local nightclub bands at 16. Jeff started playing guitar for fun at age nine, with his older brother.“ Music has been my whole life,” he said.
Jeff later moved to Gilroy 1982. Then, in 1989, Jeff left the South Valley area for work, took his guitar, and became serious about writing songs. But he returned to the area in 1994 and formed an acoustic duo— The Acoustic Preservation Society— playing at the Garlic Festival, Reno, weddings, and throughout the Bay Area. Five years later, in 1999, he went solo and became one of the first local musicians to play at local wineries such as Clos LaChance.
Like Jeff, Juli said,“ I always looked to music for everything.” She grew up in Indiana where she lived to sing in choirs in junior high and high school, and played clarinet in the band. Then, she went to college, eventually moved to California for her career, and continued with various instrument lessons, always keeping her finger in music.
Juli moved to Gilroy in 1989. Five years later she met Jeff at the South Valley Community Church in Gilroy, where she was singing and he was playing drums. When she met Jeff, he said,“ You have such a passion for this!” and suggested she become a backup singer at the church.
One day, he brought his guitar over to her house, and they sang for three hours. She joined in naturally with harmony because ever since she was little, she said,“ That’ s just what my ear heard.”
That day, Jeff told Juli:“ I have a big gig on Wednesday, why don’ t you sing with me?” Over loud protests, he talked her into it. Two years later they were married, and they’ ve been singing together for ten years.
Jeff and Juli perform at local restaurants, festivals, wineries, car shows, weddings,
Cordevalle, San Jose, and as far away as Los Angeles. To fulfill a man’ s dying wish, they once played at a friend of Jim and Ingrid Croce’ s celebration of life. Jeff said,“ This was one of my greatest honors because [ Croce was ] my greatest influence, if I had to pick one.”
Juli explained,“ All our gigs have come by word of mouth. We do two or three a week.” They squeeze in gigs between working at the office and spending time with their five kids and five grandkids.
“ We do about 170 performances a year.” Jeff laughed, adding,“ Sometimes we like to say,‘ If you pay we play.’ People ask,‘ How do you find the time do play as much as you do?’ But it’ s who we are.”
Because Jeff and Juli are performers themselves, they have a unique, easygoing relationship with the artists who are their customers.“ One of the unique things about Boulder Creek guitars is that we have the artists’ roster that is the envy of other guitar companies. But I don’ t seek them,” he explained.“ I don’ t call their managers. It’ s easy to develop a relationship with us because we’ re not star-struck; we’ re not a nuisance.”
Jeff has played onstage with Larry Gatlin, and Dave Jenkins— the lead singer for Pablo Cruise. Once Jeff and Juli establish that relationship, they meet the artists for sound check and dinner and talk about family and kids.
“ It’ s all about relationship,” Jeff said. From their employees and their gigs to their ever-expanding list of artist customers, they view them all as one big family.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2016 gmhtoday. com
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