Rick Kelly Guitars
Some have said that the New York luthier Rick Kelly makes his guitars from the city”™s old bones. They speak of his signature style, which involves building guitars from the old wood that once made up establishments in the city”™s historic districts, such as the Bowery ”“ once a murky landscape of vice, home to smoky flophouses, dark dive bars, and gambling holes. But amid this squalor existed an authenticity and ruggedness of character that has since become part of the city”™s DNA, and New Yorkers constantly lament the damage to this lineage when fabled institutions such as Chumley”™s pub, established in 1922, are closed down. But Kelly makes his Fender-influenced guitars from the wooden hearts of such faded establishments, and over time musicians as esteemed and diverse as Bob Dylan, Bill Frisell, Lenny Kaye, Patti Smith, and Lou Reed have all adopted his instruments. His shop, Carmine Street Guitars, is in the West Village.
From 10,000 Hours: Rick Kelly, Luthier.
Such an amazing video. It talks to the heart of what it means to be a true artisan, an intelligent hand. Rick’s shop is at Carmine Street Guitars.