Stephen Marchione started building instruments in 1990 after graduating from Naropa University in Colorado with a degree in Music. He completed his graduate education at Cooper Union where he studied Spanish Culture and later finished an SBA Business Program at Baruch College in Manhattan. In his early twenties, Stephen had the opportunity to begin working in the guitar-building world at Pensa-Suhr Guitars, where he learned the basics of electric guitar building under the direction of world renowned guitar builder John Suhr. Additionally, Stephen also studied privately with Manhattan-based violin makers Guy Rabut and Charles Rufino. In 1993, Stephen opened his first shop, Marchione Guitars, in New York City and built his brand for a decade, earning a reputation as a Master Luthier. In 2001, Stephen moved back to his hometown of Houston where he built a studio to focus exclusively on guitar making. Stephen, who grew up in an Italian family, taps into his European roots and American influences to design his unique pieces. “To get the player’s appreciation of my instruments, it is important for me to understand and really feel each guitar I make. The reason I am able to do this is because over the years I have studied Jazz, Blues, Classical, and Flamenco,” Marchione says. “I can relate my guitars to all those different genres as a player as well as a luthier.”