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Meet Emmett O'Hara
Luthier, guitarist and owner of O'Hara Guitars. Most people just call him E3.
Emmett at the bench, working on a Les Paul Custom.Hi, I'm Emmett John O'Hara III, or E3 for short. I've been playing, writing music and working on guitars for most of my life.
I was born in Chicago and moved to California when I was eight, and I've been playing and writing music ever since. I took woodshop at Santa Rosa High School and started building guitars there.
After high school I spent ten years at Michael Dolan Custom Guitars. I'm very grateful for the guitar building skills Michael taught me; they're the foundation of everything I do at the bench today.
I specialize in all facets of guitar repair and restoration. I'm a Fender Certified Technician and a Taylor Technician, and I install the Buzz Feiten Tuning System. O'Hara Guitars has been in business in Santa Rosa since 2002.
Give me a call at 707-538-5494 or email e3guitarman@att.net. I'm happy to talk through whatever your guitar needs.
The road to the bench
- Chicago
Born in the Windy City
Emmett John O'Hara III is born in Chicago.
- Age 8
Moves to California
His family heads west, and he starts playing and writing music.
- High school
First guitar builds
Woodshop at Santa Rosa High School turns into building his own guitars.
- 10 years
Michael Dolan Custom Guitars
A decade learning the craft of building custom instruments from Michael Dolan.
- 2002
O'Hara Guitars opens
Emmett opens his own repair and restoration shop in Santa Rosa.
- Today
Certified and still at the bench
Fender Certified Technician, Taylor Technician and Buzz Feiten Tuning System installer, with 35 years of experience.
Still playing, too.
Emmett has played in Sonoma County bands since the early '90s. One Google reviewer summed him up as "a master shredder too."
Listen to E3 Music