Chicory flower button carving
The Whitetop region in southwestern Virginia has a long tradition of fine luthiers. Martha Spencer's uncle Albert Hash was a well-known and respected fiddle maker that shared his knowledge of the craft with countless people. His daughter Audrey Hash Ham learned the fiddle making craft from her father as a teenager and has carried on the tradition since Albert passed in 1983. She has been featured in numerous articles, and radio/television programs such as CMT for her fiddle making, and along with her father, Inspired many people over the years to start instrument building. Jackson Cunningham has been apprenticing under Audrey in the fiddle making tradition of Whitetop for the last several years. |
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Jackson grew up in southern Oregon and was immersed in woodworking from as early as he can remember. His step-father was a skilled carpenter and craftsman, always having woodworking projects around the house he built from the local sugar pine and Douglas fir trees. Jackson learned these skills at a early age and has been a carpenter and woodworker for over 15 years. So, it was natural to combine his music and his craft to become a luthier.
After making and repairing various instruments over the years, he moved to southwestern Virginia, and after meeting Audrey Hash Ham of Lansing, North Carolina in 2005, he immediately began building fiddles.
Since then he has started building archtop guitars, and banjos, with the help of many local luthiers. He currently works out of his shop at home in Rugby, Virginia, making custom fiddles, archtop guitars, and banjos.  "Because he's a fine bluegrass and old-time musician, Jackson has a natural knowledge of the purpose of a good instrument. He also sees the beauty of the instrument and strives to make a beautiful instrument as well as a usefull one.
The tone and craftsmanship in his fiddles is excellent. He has extreme patience in making sure his fiddles are of the finest quality." -Audrey Hash Ham, Virginia Master Fiddle Maker  See Audrey Hash Ham,in the book "In Good Keeping", a collection of Master Folk Artists and Aprentices from Virginia by Virginia State Folklorist John Lohman.    For more info, email Jackson: lonelyoaks@yahoo.com, or call: 1-540-239-6906  Check out EbruTV's "Rythym and Roots" series to see a feature on the Whitetop Mountain Band and see and hear about Jackson's fiddles............................. |
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FIDDLE GALLERY
Sugar Maple slab back 
Whitetop Red Spruce on a Strad pattern fiddle 
Close up of the belly with Herringbone purling 
A old one-piece back of Eastern Red Maple with nice figure 
Herringbone purfling on Whitetop Spruce 
Another view of the belly 
Scroll with Bone Nut 
Big Leaf Maple scroll 
A book matched back of Western Big Leaf Maple 
Back of the volute 
Custom carved dogs head scroll 
Dogs head scroll 
Dogs head into volute 
Sitka Spruce top, with bearclaw figure 
Natural colored scroll of European Maple 
European Maple with custom Abalone purfling and Dogwood flower button carving 
Dogwood Flowers, Custom button carvings are optional. 
Blackened chamfer 
Scroll with blackened chamfer is a option 
Appalachian Red Maple bookmatched back 
Appalachian(Whitetop Mountain) Red Spruce top with Red Maple fittings 
Strad Pattern with Whitetop Mountain Red Spruce Belly and Maple fittings 
"Smokey the Rooster" 
"Smokey the Rooster" carving on scroll 
Back view of Maple 
Button carving, Fleur-De-Lis. 
Back view of Blisterd Sugar Maple Fiddle 
View of the Belly 
One-piece Back on Fiddle made of blistered Sugar Maple 
Whitetop Mountain Red Spruce top with Rosewood fittings 
Quilted Sugar Maple on a Hash Pattern |
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Thanks to Carly Burke at mountainlightjewelry.com for the pictures from The Ferrum Folklife Festival. |
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