Acoustic Corner's knowledgeable and helpful staff includes Matt Kinne (Showroom Manager),
David Zoll (Instruction Coordinator), and Ben Brockway (Instrument Repair and
Maintenance).
Maintenance and Repair
Acoustic Corner offers maintenance and repair of most stringed instruments,
including fretted and violin family instruments, as well as electrics and pickup
installation.
Ben Brockway is a graduate of Minnesota State College's stringed instrument repair program in Red Wing,
Minnesota. Guided by the wisdom of Tom Fellenbaum, Ben takes on everything string related including
guitar/banjo/mandolin/bass/cello/etc repair, setup, pickup installation, and electric guitar repair. Ben is passionate about his
work and wants to make sure you are happy with your instrument. If you are in Western N. Carolina and have any repair related
questions stop by our store with your instrument or Ben.
Seen here with shop dog Toby, Acoustic Corner co-owner Stephanie Wilds
serves as our primary violin technician. Stephanie's expertise focuses on violin setup and
maintenance, with some minor repair available, and she especially enjoys working on student-level
violins. Under the supervision of husband Tom Fellenbaum, she has also been learning the art of
pearl and abalone inlay, and offers a limited amount of custom inlay and repair.
Instrument Rentals
Instrument rentals at Acoustic Corner include full- and partial-sized violin outfits, acoustic steel-strung,
classical, and small-bodied guitars, open-back banjos, and A-style mandolins. Our rate for full-sized
violins and other instruments is $30.00/month; partial-sized violins are rented for $20/month.
All rentals come with an option-to-buy program. Please call or for more information.
Instruction
Acoustic Corner is pleased to provide private, one-on-one space for instruction in a variety
of instruments. Our future expansion plans include a group lesson room as well. Our instructors
come from a range of musical backgrounds, and most are professional musicians. The roster of
instructors is ever-growing; call for additional information or referrals for other area instructors.
Matt Kinne studied jazz and classical guitar in college while earning his degree in anthropology. He's been playing
the guitar for over twenty years, and has been a guitar instructor for twelve. An accomplished performer in his own right, Matt plays regularly in several
venues in the Asheville area, and is an amazingly versatile musician, moving seamlessly between folk, jazz, classical, Celtic, and rock and roll. Matt divides
his time at Acoustic Corner between teaching and staffing our showroom.
David Zoll has been playing guitar and performing in New York and Florida since 1991. He plays an eclectic blend of
Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country and Bluegrass. An avid performer and student of the instrument, David focuses on fingerstyle, songwriting and improvisation. Along
with Matt Kinne, David divides his time between teaching, performing, and staffing the showroom at Acoustic Corner.
Laurie Fisher is a multi-instrumentalist and one of the southern 'players' in the contradance
renaissance of the past 20 years. She is the fiddler for Fiddlewitch, Holy Coyote and The String Beings and keyboardist with The Evil
Twins. She plays music from the contra, old time, Irish, and Scottish repertoire and is a 2nd violinist in the Blue Ridge Civic Orchestra
and Jubilee Summer Orchestra. She plays electric bass in the Atlanta Swamp Opera Cajun and, bass fiddle and vocals in the Blue Heaven
Swing band, guitar and vocals in Screechowl Serenade country swing band. She teaches fiddle, clawhammer banjo and beginning
guitar and mandolin at Acoustic Corner. →http://main.nc.us/drumdance/LF
Andy Pond has been picking the 5-string banjo since 1992. Andy was the first banjo player in Appalachian
State's Music School, where he earned a degree in Music Industry Studies and pursued music theory and jazz studies as well. Andy enjoys
teaching banjo to students of all levels in a wide range of styles including traditional bluegrass and jazz. In addition to teaching, Andy plays
professionally with many bands in the Western North Carolina region, including Snake Oil Medicine Show and CX-1, and with
Nashville great Roy 'Futureman' Wooten. →http://www.myspace.com/andypondmusic
Paco Shipp is an innovative, world class harmonica player and singer/songwriter. He has worked with
a long list of great artists over the years, including Billy Joe Shaver, A.J. Croce, Johnny Cash, T. Graham Brown, Big House, Jo-el Sonnier, Marty
Stuart, Bobby Bradford, and The Jamie Hartford Band. His work with the JHB in particular has brought great critical acclaim for his innovative,
emotional style. →http://www.myspace.com/pacoshipp
Will Straughan, our bluegrass mandolin and dobro instructor, is a talented multi-instrumentalist
and regionally popular sideman and session player. Along with Natalya Weinstein and John Cloyd Miller, he performs regularly in the
Americana band Red June, as well as with members of Jim and Jennie, the Pinetops, and the Greasy Beans in the band Garbage Bear.
In addition, he is currently touring and recording with regional favorites Eliza Lynn and Lance Mills. He has performed or collaborated
with the Emma Gibbs Band, Lo-Fi Breakdown, Kellin Watson, and Aaron Price, among many others. Will is also a songwriter and singer
with an instantly recognizable vocal style and approach. →http://www.myspace.com/willstraughan
Natalya Weinstein is an accomplished multi-genre fiddler and violinist who trained for fifteen
years as a classical violinist before switching her focus to bluegrass, country, swing, and oldtime fiddling. She performs with a number
of local and regional bands including Red June, the Kari Sickenberger Band, and Polecat Creek, as well as teaches students of all ages.
While she focuses on fiddle repertoire with her students, Natalya teaches from a classical perspective. →http://www.natalyaweinstein.com/
