Josh Humphrey in his shop
© Josh Humphrey

A Luthier’s Creative Process

Guitar, made from reclaimed redwood
© Josh Humphrey

In Josh Humphrey‘s hands, a weathered piece of redwood from a dilapidated shack is transformed into the caramel-colored face of a one-of-a-kind guitar.

Humphrey is a luthier, a craftsman who makes stringed instruments.

The 20-string Raja guitar, pictured on the right, is one of the many unique pieces he has crafted from reclaimed and other local woods.

How did he become a luthier? It took his dad’s business, heavy rock music, and an apple tree, with several Oh, I see moments along the way.

Dad’s Business

During his teenage years, Humphrey’s dad owned a wood and tool shop. Humphrey was set free to do what he wanted there. It was, as he says, his “play area with power tools.”

Heavy Rock Music

At fourteen, Humphrey started playing the electric guitar. Rock band was a blast—everyone played equally poorly, and they all were having loads of fun. He studied and played experimental heavy metal music throughout undergraduate and graduate school.

And then, after earning his master’s degree in electro-musical composition, Humphrey had an Oh, I see moment: he was done with computerized music. He wanted to focus on raw, unplugged, acoustical music.

Back of a banjo, made from apple wood
© Josh Humphrey

During college, Humphrey had read about musicians who had made their own instruments. He decided to try it. He read some books, talked to some friends, and started cutting.

He had another Oh, I see moment during the creative process of that first handmade guitar. He says he finally felt “like a duck in water” because instrument-making brought together his two passions: music and woodworking.

The Apple Tree

Not long after that, as a friend was helping him clear a dying one-hundred-year-old apple tree from his backyard, Humphrey said “Oh, I see” again. The apple wood was so unique—he realized he needed to use it to build his instruments.

There was enough wood from that tree to fill a truck. Humphrey has used it in five or six instruments so far, including the banjo on the right. And it inspired him to seek out local and reclaimed wood for his other pieces.

A Mahogany Table

As his business grew, Humphrey received more and more commissions. A musician offered him a dusty old mahogany tabletop he had in his basement.

Humphrey went and looked at the piece. He quickly saw past the glass ring stains on its surface and realized that this three-inch-thick piece of wood was a real treasure.

So he brought it back to his shop and included it in the banjola he was making for the man.

“Mahogany,” he explains, “is a rich brown. On that banjola, right where you put your thumb, there was a streak of color—a crimson swirl. Mahogany is never streaked, so it was a miraculous color.”

He continues, “With reclaimed wood, you never know what you are going to get.”

His Creative Process

Oud, made from the apple tree
© Josh Humphrey

This self-taught luthier isn’t just satisfied with making typical instruments. Instead, he meticulously constructs bowl-shaped ouds, round-faced koras, nautialtas with side sound holes, and many more unique stringed instruments.

“My favorite instrument,” Humphrey shares, “is anything that is new and different—like a piece I can create with an extra neck with extra strings.”

Humphrey says he was trained by the best possible method—doing repairs. While, at first, he was reluctant to repair pieces others had made, he soon realized what an opportunity it was.

He shares, “Every time I repair an oud, I use a mirror to look inside and see how it was constructed. I measure all the parts to learn how it was put together.” Then he uses what he learns in his own pieces.

Putting the Pieces Together

It takes about five years for a freshly-cut tree to dry before it can be crafted. One advantage to working with reclaimed wood, Humphrey explains,  is that “it was a beam in a building for years, so it is dry.” Nevertheless, once he cuts the reclaimed wood, he still has to wait a few months more for it to dry before he can work with it.

The video below shows Humphrey at work, both in the wood shop and playing the background music. This instrument was constructed over four weeks.

If the video does not display, watch it here.

For seven years now, Josh Humphrey has been crafting handmade guitars and other pieces. He says he has found his calling, and, he adds with absolute certainty, “I want to spend my time doing this.”

Josh Humphrey’s work was on display at the Portland International Airport in the spring of 2013 and will be on display at Urban Lumber Gallery in downtown Eugene in October 2013. You can also see his work on his Facebook page.

Humphrey is a member of the Guild of American Luthiers and Mandolin Cafe, where you can learn more about the luthier craft. 

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