My passion for building traditional style acoustic instruments is a natural progression of a life-long love of fine woodworking and acoustic music. I have spent most of my life relentlessly perfecting my skills as a craftsman and have spent considerable time working and learning from accomplished luthiers and experienced woodworkers. My past endeavors have included professional antiques restoration, woodcarving, cabinet building and the restoration of classic cars, boats and airplanes. 

The idea of building affordable, hand-crafted instruments on a production basis was several years in coming to fruition. Moving from my comfortable, small workshop to a large industrial space was a leap in faith for me, but having the opportunity to pass on my experience to a younger and eager staff is a daily reward. I have been able to leverage my many years of relationships with tonewood and hardware suppliers to enable Cirrus to build our instruments with no compromise in quality.

My many interests include flying, live acoustic music and spending time in the great Michigan outdoors. After owning and flying a Cirrus SR22 aircraft for more than 15 years, the Cirrus name was a natural fit.

Tobin McGlassion began his adventure into the music world when he was young. He saw his dad play a handful of cowboy chords and the rest was history. At 18, Tobin apprenticed with Mike Franks learning the craft of Luthierie and inlay. After years of learning, Tobin and Mike had the dream to launch Cirrus Guitars with a passion for American handmade instruments. Tobin builds the occasional McGlassion Guitar which has a slant towards what he calls the “artistically traditional aesthetic”. He has a passion for creating beautifully functional works of art, whether it’s a snowboard or (his personal favorite) any form of guitar, his heart and soul is poured into his creation. Tobin loves leading the Cirrus team and adding a sense of humor and “youthful energy” to the shop. As well as building Tobin manages the day-to-day operations with a focus on team cooperation and helping to train and grow our staff. If he isn’t here at the shop, you can find him with his wife relaxing, riding his dirt bike, or driving… he’s pretty much always driving… 

About me: I’m Jon Sheard. In 2005, I was lucky enough to meet Mike Franks while he was a backstage leader at a guitar gig I was playing and we became fast friends. After seeing his luthier work, I became a fan of MJ Franks guitars and bought my first one in 2008 (sold all my other acoustics and never looked back). I love Mike and Tobin’s work, and I cherish them both as human beings, so when they came to me with this idea for Cirrus, I was all in. I grew up playing guitar (and tuba, ha), and music has always been a passion of mine. I’ve played in bands since high school and continue to do so, including indie rock artists Brae in metro Detroit, DL Rossi, country artist Brian Papson, and singer/songwriter Danny Cox, in both studio and live settings. Quality gear with exceptional tone has always been a passion, so Cirrus fits right in that wheelhouse. I’m an Electrical Engineer by degree, graduated from Michigan Tech, and have been an industrial HVAC sales engineer for nearly 25 years.  When Mike and Tobin proposed Cirrus Guitars, I was excited to join the team and can’t wait to help them grow! I’m hoping to use my sales experience and passion for music to help the team and brand grow (and inject some humor around the shop).  Outside of work and music, my favorite thing is being outside on the water, fishing with my wife and two growing boys. We enjoy hiking and occasionally bird hunting with our two dogs.  

Steven Prevett began his journey in the craft of building acoustic guitars at Cirrus. He finds immense joy in creating instruments that bring music to life and is dedicated to making guitars that inspire other musicians. In addition to his work as a luthier, Steven is a graduate of Central Michigan University (B.S. in Music) and Mott Community College (A.F.A. in Music), where he studied classical guitar and composition. He has released two solo EPs, written two original musicals, and composed music for various short films, and comedy. Steven performs regularly with his bluegrass band, Madd Dogg and the Strays (playing banjo and mandolin), and teaches private and group music lessons at the Flint School of Performing Arts and in the Metro-Detroit area. Steven also enjoys animating and watercolor painting."

Andy Birko is a Detroit native born to Ukrainian immigrant parents. Andy received a degree in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Music from the University of Michigan and immediately put his skills to work building a Ukrainian instrument, the bandura.  This led to building guitars and eventually, building CNC machines to build guitar and bandura parts.  In 2012, Andy founded Birkonium to provide high quality CNC parts for guitar makers and hasn't stopped since. After designing and supplying CNC machined parts to MJ Franks for many years, Andy decided to bring Birkonium in-house with Cirrus Guitars. Andy is now our internal source for CNC designed and produced instrument components, tooling and fixtures while continuing to also serve the Luthier community.

Hailing from Southfield, Michigan, Russell Balow learned the art of guitar building studying under renowned luthier Brian Galloup, completing his Master Builder program in 2012 and striking out on his own. After several years working for himself, Balow joined the Gibson Guitar Corporation, working nights at the acoustic facility in Bozeman, Montana. Upon returning to Michigan from Montana in 2018, Balow worked with noted builder Gabriel Curie at Echo Park guitars. After leaving Echo Park, Balow worked for well known guitar parts supplier Rockford Carving, running CNC rigs and using a hydraulic press to create pre-carved arched tops for various instruments. In 2021 he left the industry, returning to his other passion, the Kitchen, until joining Michael Franks and Cirrus guitars in 2024. He has two cats (Sabado Domingo and Tiberius-Rex), enjoys record stores and stalwartly believes that pizza is the finest food there is.

Jaimie has worked with Mike Franks for close to 20 years, from the early days of M.J. Franks Guitars and now with Cirrus. Jaimie handles all graphic design, website and marketing materials. His design studio, Vibrosonic Design, works with a wide variety of clients, from Tony Hawk (where Jaimie is the Creative Director), Airstream Trailers, the Charlotte Hornets, Slim Jim and many more… to many guitar brands such as Taylor, Iris Guitars, Madrid, Black Cat pedals and the Fretboard Journal. Jaimie has been playing guitar for 40 years (so he should be much better), opening for the likes of Cheap Trick, Leon Russell, and Joe Bonamassa. You can check out his current music project, The Murderers of Love to hear his original Americana-style music. Jaimie is the proud father of three, and when he’s not doing something guitar related, he paints folk art paintings and has even had a couple of gallery shows in recent years. And…his Instagram account @stuffongoodwill has become one of the more popular guitar accounts to follow.