MEET THE FIREHOUSE GUITARS CREW

I began playing drums when I was 13 years old and quickly fell in love with music and especially music gear!  At age 17, I picked up the guitar and this fueled my gear addiction even more.  Working in music retail is truly a dream job for me as I really enjoy being around the products and interacting with musicians of all kinds each day.  I especially enjoy playing music at my church where I am a worship leader and a youth group leader.  Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my two little girls and my wife Rachel.  I also am a big NBA fan.  #GoPistons 

I started with Firehouse in 2005 as a salesman and took over the reigns as store manager in March of 2012.  I love working for this company and look forward to coming to work each day.  

I have been playing guitar since I was 13. I took up drums about two years later. I have since been interested in musical instruments and accessories for the better part of 15 years. I currently enjoy playing drums and writing guitar for my metal band Fear Campaign.

My non musical interests include computers and electronics as well as video games. I currently reside in Holland with my wife Rhiannon. 

I started with Firehouse in 2008 at our former Holland location. I have since worked at our warehouse, and have been at the Grandville location since 2012.

My music interest began at age 4 with a plastic guitar and an out-of-tune upright piano given to my parents. By age 6 I was singing in local musicals, and at age 12 I took serious interest in my first real instrument, the viola. A few years, and many rock albums later, I was given my first electric guitar. Shortly after I was performing in my first band, and pursued improving my skills as a jazz major in college, where I performed with the Traverse City Jazz Ensemble and in a well regarded trio. This opened doors to play with other artists on both local and national levels, and also allowed me to share my passion for music with beginning musicians as a worship leader in my local church. Whether a starting or seasoned musician, I find enjoyment in helping others pursue and expand their music interests.

I have been involved in music instrument retail since 1991, where the owner of a local shop in Traverse City realized my knowledge and enthusiasm for equipment. More recently, before joining the team here at Firehouse Guitars, I was on the road full-time as a product specialist for Mackie Pro Audio, traveling cross country from Ontario to Utah.

I look forward to seeing you in our store soon.

I was blessed to be born into a house full of guitars and a dad who was willing to show me anything he knew about playing.  In my teens I started playing drums in bands around the East side of the state, where I am originally from. Later I moved primarily to guitar and finding a love for classic country music.

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To me, making music is magic. A couple of chords strung together can make you cry, get you motivated, or fill you with joy and everything between. I absolutely love to share that magic with people and working at Firehouse gives me that opportunity everyday. 

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When I am not at work, you can find me with my wife and our two children, probably all laughing and singing with a guitar in my hands.

I was very blessed to be born into a creative family of photographers and musicians and that quickly fueled my interest in the visual and auditory arts at a young age of 12. I learned to play guitar first, but later started dabbling in bass. 

Fast forward to 2017, I had made the decision to leave everything and go to audio school. I graduated from the Recording Workshop in Ohio and I quickly began recording and mixing demos for bands under the name "Kai Bass Audio" alongside also entering into a new personal era chugging on bass with my metalcore band, "Wholeheart".

Today I spend most of my time away from the shop working with bands to create pro mixes that help promote their brand and that can help get them get heard above the local level, but you can also catch me on long hikes in the woods or mountains with my wife while capturing images for my own photography projects or playing metalcore riffs in dumby drop tunings for new musical endeavors.

Born in 1984 and began playing music in the 3rd grade in the Comstock Park School system.  At around age 15 I started teaching myself to play bass guitar which quickly led to 6 string guitar.  Having always been handy and access to a wealth of information through library and internet sources, it wasn't long before I had torn apart and rebuilt every piece of gear I have ever owned.  By around age 20, I was building tube amps, solid state amps, effects, and electric guitars from scratch.  A few short years later I had begun "major surgery" and scratch builds of acoustic instruments.  

An interest in classical and jazz music led me to a few thoroughly enjoyed guitar and music classes at GRCC in my college years.  Those classes have left me with a permanent soft-spot for the classical, nylon-strung guitar.  Always wanting to learn something new, perfect what I already know, and keep up-to-speed with the ever-changing world of music and musical instruments, I could not have asked for a better job or hobby than to be the guitar tech at Firehouse Guitars.

My father was the main source of my music roots. The overdriven guitars and fast solos of the 70's/80's had my attention from the beginning. Then on the other side was my mom who listened to funk and disco music. I'm a huge fan of the bass lines and grooves that come from that style of music. 

I was given my first "real" guitar at the age of 7 years old and at first, I was not very passionate about it, but I learned the basics. Once I got into my teenage years, I was serious about playing music and became involved with a couple local bands. I also learned drums, piano, music theory and how to read music from a teacher. 

From a very young age, I was also given the opportunity to learn about electronics which was fascinating but much more complicated than I could comprehend at the time. I played with power supplies, charging caps to create arcs and watched my Dad fix VCR's while playing Van Halen's "Live Without a Net" on the TV's he had just fixed. My first electronics kit was one from RadioShack when I was around 7 years old which I enjoyed making trucker radio receivers and annoying alarms with, but this gave me the building blocks. My father and I would build amplifiers together and restore others that needed a new life. 

Fast forward, I started a small business in 2022 which started with amplifiers, various electronics circuit repairs and treadmill MCB's but I was approached by Firehouse to expand their services. Being an amplifier tech at Firehouse Guitars has been a great opportunity for me to grow and pushes me to get better every day. 

During my 8th grade year, I convinced my parents to buy me my first guitar and with that Starcaster I started teaching myself how to play all the Metallica songs that inspired me. By the time I was in high school, I fell in love with metalcore bands and eventually started my own band with my best friend. Shortly after high school, I stopped playing guitar as my other hobbies took over, but after about 10 years I started playing again and that passion for guitar was reignited. Outside of guitars, my main hobbies surround working on and modifying cars which made me interested in modifying my guitars as well. Working on guitars has become one of my strongest passions, and I’m blessed to have the opportunity to help others fuel their passion by maintaining and modifying their instruments.