Ty Feigenspan Luthiery

This solid body electric was my first guitar build. Inspiration It was a beautiful day in the Iowa countryside.  I was a high schooler taking a run past open fields and Amish farms, dreaming about the future.  I asked myself, “If I were to open a business in this area, what would it be?”  Then the idea just came to me - a custom guitar shop.   I didn’t really know what the process of building guitars involved, but the idea was so inspiring that I had to try. Research Research Research Has anyone ever told you, “You can learn anything on Youtube”?  It’s actually not too far from the truth.  I spent countless evenings scouring the internet for information on guitar building, determined to figure out the process.  After viewing many Youtube tutorials and guitar forums, I felt decently confident to start designing my project. Design My guitar plans. This was where it started to get fun.  I set up my dad’s big drawing easel in our house and sketched up...

Antonio Stradivari in his workshop. (Photo courtesy of Wikicommons) According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a luthier is defined as “one who makes stringed musical instruments (such as violins or guitars).” As I reflect upon this definition, I have to consider, what is it about this particular trade that has so captured my passion and imagination?   This morning I came upon a picture that may offer some answers to my question.  The picture is of Antonio Stradivari, sitting at his work bench, holding a violin in one hand and resting his pondering face on the other.  After some research, I discovered that Antonio Stradivari was a luthier in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s.  Many of his highly valued works are still in use today, over 300 years later.  His innovative designs broke ground in violin, cello, and viola design.  The name Stradivari still invokes ideas of expert craftsmanship to this day. The thing that first caught my attention in the pi...