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His Own Gig: Westchester Musician Launches Eco-Friendly Guitar Business

Like many a teenage boy before him, Henry D’Allacco dreamed of rock stardom. 

Henry D'Allacco crafts each instrument by hand at Grosbeak Guitars.

Henry D'Allacco crafts each instrument by hand at Grosbeak Guitars.

Photo Credit: Contributed
A finished Grosbeak guitar can take several weeks to a few months' work.

A finished Grosbeak guitar can take several weeks to a few months' work.

Photo Credit: Vira Mamchur Schwartz
Locally sourced materials are used in the making of a Grosbeak guitar.

Locally sourced materials are used in the making of a Grosbeak guitar.

Photo Credit: Contributed

As a high school student at Saunders High School in Yonkers, D’Allacco, a self-taught bass guitar player, practiced day and night with his band at his childhood home on Grosbeak Road. Always striving for perfection, he began tinkering with his guitars and the band’s other instruments to ensure the best quality sound. 

A little over a decade later, D’Allacco’s band-touring days seem to be over, but his tinkering remains. The entrepreneur is now the founder of Grosbeak Guitars, an eco-friendly boutique brand he launched this year which relies on local suppliers and water-soluble paints.

“I like to say we build vintage-inspired electric guitars and basses using moderns updates to old-time methods,” explained D’Allacco.

What does that mean? No computer designing or engineering.

“Everything is done by hand with perfection and precision.

“It can take several weeks to a few months to build a guitar,” he explained. “Right now, we have a three-month wait time between the build process and the painting process."

Customers of Grosbeak Guitars have included indie artists from Westchester and Brooklyn, according to D’Allacco.

“Young Thieves uses our guitars and singer/songwriter Jon Masters does, too," he said. “Locally, in Westchester, a band called Back 2 Zero uses them as well.”

Today, all of D’Allacco’s guitars are built in his Yonkers garage. But hopefully, not for long. 

To move into a dedicated space in town Grosbeak Guitars has launched a crowd-funding campaign on the website Indiegogo.com. Raising enough capital for his business will allow him to purchase additional equipment, create an e-commerce website and hire employees.

Said D'Allacco: “I'm hoping my dream takes off so Grosbeak Guitars will be my only gig."

Learn more about Grosbeak Guitars by visiting  igg.me/at/GrosbeakGuitars.

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