Respected luthier Michael Lewis of California is a wealth of information regarding mandolin building. I enjoyed our conversation very much. He shared so much information in our talk that it was impossible to include it all in this interview.
Joe Mendel: How did your luthierie career get started?
Michael Lewis: I was interested in folk music in high school, The Kingston Trio, among others. I thought banjos were so cool, I just had to have one. My stepfather saw an article in Popular Mechanics, "Build Your Own Banjo for $16," so we sent for the kit. I thought I wanted to be a performer, but during the construction of the banjo I discovered that wasn't where my personality wanted to be or where my talents lie. During the banjo construction process I had to reshape several parts. My picking buddies then started asking me to do this or that to their instruments and they really liked my work. Luthierie remained a hobby for several years. In the late 70's I took a leave of absence from my job to build our house and I never returned. In January of 1981, I started building banjos and mandolins and doing repair work, it just snowballed over the years. It's one of those things, where if you have a passion for something and stick with it, it will happen.
JM: How have you promoted your work?
ML: In 1983 I started attending a local Bluegrass festival in Grass Valley. A local luthier had a booth and invited me to show my work. We shared the booth for several years and eventually I took it over. I now oversee a 40 x 80 foot building at the Grass Valley Festival that houses about 20 luthiers displaying instruments and doing repairs. This has helped sales for everyone, having all these great instruments in one-place draws in many more people. I also attend several other festivals throughout the year. My website, http://www.michaellewisinstruments.com also helps.
JM: You mentioned having a passion, are mandolins your passion?
ML: Mandolins are my focus and real love. I wasn't finding a market for banjos and there are so many good guitarmarkers I didn't think the world needed another guitarmaker. I didn't know any mandolin builders in our area so I decided to build some. I love these things, it's an obsession. I took some jobs that maybe I shouldn't have, but they turned out well. I consider myself blessed and my life is wonderful. I'm not getting rich, but I love what I do. Building mandolins led into building D'Angelico archtop guitar replicas. I've been doing that now for about 10 years.
JM: Describe your approach in building mandolins.
ML: I'm not trying to copy Lloyd Loar mandolins with my F styles, but there is a particular feel and a quality about them that I'm trying to achieve. There is something about a Loar that attracts attention. I've recently done some varnish finishes on mandolins and it's amazing how differently those mandolins speak as compared to a lacquer finish.
Once a year I build a batch of mandolins the way I prefer them. Everything else is a custom order with approximately a 24-month wait. I find the material selection and arching are the most important aspects of mandolin building, even more than the plate graduations. I am always learning and constantly refining my instruments and techniques.
JM: I noticed pictures of the Wingfeather and Ritz models on your website. How did these models come to be?
ML: A guy working for me wanted to build a guitar shaped mandolin and at the same time I was asked to build two D'Angelico style mandolins (a small archtop guitar body with a mandolin neck). I thought, "What a cool idea!" and I started building them. The Ritz model looks like a gypsy jazz guitar and is basically used for jazz. The Wingfeather is based on the D'Angelico guitar body, and I can voice them for the particular sound the customer desires.
JM: Thanks for taking the time to talk with me, I hope our paths cross soon.
ML: Thank you.
Michael is located in Grass Valley, CA and can be contacted by phone at: 530.272.4124 or e-mail to:
malewis@nccn.net
http://www.michaellewisinstruments.com
