While we like to flex our creative muscles in a lot of different ways here in the studio, the main focus falls into two areas: building, restoring, and modifing musical instruments, and building classic wooden surfboards.
Making Music.
Steve designs, builds and restores instruments that reflect the wildly diverse styles and cultures of our beautiful state. We normally have a variety of production instruments for sale in the CalStyle shop, and we accept custom commissions for guitars, and ukuleles. In addition to building our own instruments, we are always on the lookout for unique or interesting instruments that need some love. Our restored and resto-modded instruments will appear on the online store or at local makers markets at unpredictable times, so check in often to see what we're working on.
Surf's Up.
We have an incredible history of board shapers her in SoCal, I don't claim to put myself in the same category as that crowd. My focus at the moment is on building chambered boards and strip-skinned boards, and getting really creative with how I combine my instrument and board builds. My boards are mostly fit for chill rides over performance shredding, and tend to fall in the midlength to longboard range.
Be Responsible.
We love to give things new life. It's about responsibility and care for the world we live in, but it's more than that for us. We come across so many things that have been made with care, that have been used with love, and that have stories that go back years, and sometimes centuries, and it just breaks our hearts sometimes that these stories have to end. But sometimes we can add to the story by bringing beautiful instruments, furniture, and art back to life, and passing those pieces on to people whose stories will become part of the life of the piece.
We also have a strong recycle/reuse/repurpose ethic here at CalStyle Studio that you can read about on our Repurpose page.
In the Media.
Life and Work with Steve Eubanks. SDVoyager Magazine interview. January 24, 2022 Meet Steve Eubanks. Canvas Rebel Magazine interview. February 9, 2023 Meet Steve Eubanks. Bold Journey Magazine interview. July 7, 2023
Meet the Maker
Steve Eubanks is the lead builder here at CalStyle. He's the designer and luthier for Caltone Instruments, runs the workshop, and builds most of the handmade products. Steve's been making things from instruments to furniture for over three decades and loves passing on those skills to the next generation of builders. Though he's lived all over the country, Steve's called southern California home since 1991.
CalStyle Studio is as much a family as we are a company located in the San Gabriel Valley, just outside Los Angeles. The Eubanks have been in SoCal for more than 30 years. Zach and Josh were both born right around the corner at Foothill Presbyterian Hospital, and this community is not just where we live, it's truly home. As a family we've embraced the amazing state of California from low-impact wilderness trekking in the Sierras to skiing at Snow Summit. From surfing at Moonlight Beach to strolling at Pismo. From the Embarcadero in San Francisco to Mount Shasta. Each of us brings a little of who we are and what we love about our state to the business of CalStyle Studio.
You can follow my builds on Instagram @caltone_instruments, and many of them are documented in the build blogs here on the website.