Worland began as a hobbyist 20 years ago with little more than a passion for guitars and a background in design engineering. He says the hobby “got out of control,” and in 1997 he became a full-time luthier, creating Worland Guitars in Rockford, Illinois. He started building acoustic and archtop guitars, and slowly broke the mold, using different tonewoods like walnut, redwood and amboyna burl, as well as exploring new shapes, string configurations and instruments. By building both traditional and exotic instruments, his two different styles of guitars work like a ying and yang for his creative motivation. Pictured: Live Edge Lap Steel, HarpaStar