Clarke Strings & Sound is the culmination of nearly fifteen years of training and work in the music industry surrounding Washington, D.C.  While earning my fine arts degree in English Literature at the University of Maryland, College Park, I started servicing Fender Rhodes electric pianos and quickly developed a passion for repairing electro-mechanical instruments. After building my first replica Rhodes "Piano Bass" for a professional pianist in Germany, I branched into guitar repair work, and later, restoration. I refined my skills in lutherie at Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center, where I apprenticed under the late Andrew Holland and Dru Lore, earned Repair Certifications for Fender Musical Instrument Co. and Taylor Guitars, and collaborated on a custom line of Paul Reed Smith guitars at the Stevensville factory in Maryland. Now I've opened this shop to bring my experience home to the DMV music community!

~Ryan Clarke