EP 95 - L. Ellis Hahn

Words from Ellis:

“I officially began my guitar making career in Chicago back in 2002, when my favorite guitar was in need of major repair. I did what I always do: read every book I can find about the subject. After that I was hooked,  I found an apprenticeship and realized that rather than repairs, designing and building instruments was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Three years later, I moved to NYC and got the chance to work at Sadowsky Guitars, arguably the best guitar shop in the city. My time there not only showed me how much I had to learn but also allowed me to grow from an amateur builder to  a professional. I was hired to do fret work and body sanding back in 2005, but moved on to final assembly and by 2013 became the shop manager.

Over the course of the past 16 years, I've built hundreds of instruments. I've learned something from each one. Whether it was about wood combinations, electronics, construction techniques and design, or geometry and balance. The goal is always to create an instrument that echoes back the inspiration put into it. “