For his entire life, Max Krimmel has dedicated himself to two paths: Making and music. Though Max stopped building guitars in 1983, he went on to craft dulcimers and marimbas and create turned alabaster pieces, some of which are on display in the Smithsonian. 

For episode 71 of the podcast, I sit down with Max in his Nederland, Colorado studio to hear his thoughts on being an independent guitar maker in the '60s and 1970s. We talk about his very last guitar, Kasha bracing, and the transition he made to making other instruments and crafts.

http://maxkrimmel.com

Luthier on Luthier is hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars and brought to you by the Fretboard Journal. This episode is sponsored by Acoustic Coffee Company and Dream Guitars.

Luthiers for a Cause: https://www.luthiersforacause.org

Michael Gurian started building guitars in the early 1960s and then founded the Gurian Guitar Company. He’d go on to create one of the first successful boutique steel string guitar companies of the modern era, with clients ranging from Paul Simon and Jackson Browne to Pierre Bensusan. Michael has also consulted with major guitar companies and eventually became a supplier for wood, materials, and tools used by other makers. Now retired, he's building instruments, by-hand, once again.

For episode 70 of Luthier on Luthier, recorded live at the 2022 Chicago Fretboard Summit, Michael recounts some of his accomplishments and setbacks. He also shares his thoughts on running a business to starting in lutherie today and much more.   

https://www.gurianinstruments.com

Luthier on Luthier is hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars. This episode is sponsored by Acoustic Coffee Company and Dream Guitars.

San Antonio’s James Roadman is not only a top-notch repair person but also the maker behind some incredible tooling for luthiers. For Episode 69 of the podcast, James tells us how he went from making his own drum set to repairing guitars. He also covers all his machine shop tools and how he uses them in both repair and machining.  

http://www.jroadman.com/instruments/

Luthier on Luthier is hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars. This episode is sponsored by Acoustic Coffee Company and Dream Guitars.

Musician, vintage instrument expert, and guitar dealer Eric Schoenberg is largely responsible for the resurgence of OM-size guitars. In the early 1970s, Eric worked with the Martin guitar company to start making OM guitars based on their own late 1920s and early 1930s designs. The project at times also included names we all know such as Dana Bourgeois, TJ Thompson, Julius Borges, John Slobod, Bruce Sexauer, Robert Anderson, Randall “Sparky” Kramer, and others. 

For Episode 68 of the podcast, we hear the history of Eric's path as a professional player, guitar designer, and retailer, and his thoughts on OM's, 12 fret vs 14 frets guitars, and much more.  

Link: https://om28.com/

Luthier on Luthier is hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars. This episode is sponsored by Acoustic Coffee Company and Dream Guitars.

Les Godfrey makes world-class electric guitars and basses known for their unique style out of his one-person shop in Kingston, Canada.   For episode 67 of the podcast, Les dives deep into his thoughts on design and the role of instrument making in his life. We also hear about his time working in Carl Thompson’s shop, his time as a touring musician, and how he started making guitars.   Link: https://www.godfreyguitars.com

Luthier on Luthier is hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars. This episode is sponsored by Acoustic Coffee Company and Dream Guitars.

Dusty Gregg spent years as a professional touring guitarist and road tech before starting his own line of guitars. For episode 66 of the podcast, Dusty tells us about how his time on the road serving professional musicians influenced his guitar designs. He also shares his thoughts on winding pickups, pickup magnets, carbon fiber, and much more.  

http://www.greggguitars.com

Luthier on Luthier is hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars. This episode is sponsored by Acoustic Coffee Company, Allied Lutherie, and Dream Guitars.

Doug and Sharon Proper own and operate Guitar Specialist, one of the top repair shops in the country. Doug started out with ambitions of becoming a professional jazz guitarist and began repairing guitars to help pay for his music studies in college.

For our 65th episode of the podcast, Doug tells us about approaching lutherie as a sound financial business and his philosophy on pricing and customer relations. We also talk about some of Doug's favorite tool, least favorite jobs, and much more.

https://www.guitarspecialist.com

Hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars. This episode is sponsored by Acoustic Coffee Company, Allied Lutherie and Dream Guitars.

Veteran luthier Bruce Sexauer has been building guitars for over 50 years. For episode 64 of the podcast, Bruce tells us about his moldless method of construction, his oil varnish finish, and his collaborations with Eric Schoenberg. Bruce also shares is thoughts on the relationship between function and beauty in his guitars and how this relates to personal growth.   https://sexauerluthier.com

This episode is sponsored by Acoustic Coffee Company, Allied Lutherie and Dream Guitars.

Glenn Nichols of Retrograde Guitars builds instruments inspired by the catalog guitars of the 1940s and '50s. For episode 63 of the podcast, he tells us how he is re-imagining laminated tops and how he treats them as acoustically tunable plates. He also shares how, after getting a degree in art, he ended up working for Santa Cruz guitars and luthiers Kenny Hill and Bill Tippin. We also talk about the spirit varnish he uses on all his guitars, his wood choices and more. 

This episode is sponsored by Acoustic Coffee Company, Allied Lutherie and Dream Guitars.

João Cassias makes electric, acoustic, and archtop guitars out of his three-person shop in São Paulo, Brazil. For Episode 62 of the podcast, João tells us how he got bit by the luthierie bug and about his early guitar studies in São Paulo. He recounts how, with the support of his family, he was able to come to the US to attend the Galloup school and spend time at Ervin Somogyi and Tom Ribbecke’s shops. João shares stories and lessons from each of those experiences and tells us why the archtop guitar is his favorite.

https://www.instagram.com/cassiasguitars/   https://www.galloupguitars.com/galloup-school/

This episode is sponsored by Acoustic Coffee Company, Allied Lutherie and Dream Guitars.