Michael Bashkin - Building $30,000 Guitars By Hand & The Art of Luthiers | Robertson Stash Podcast
The Robertson Stash Podcast: Motivational Stories from Glass Artists and Life’s True Innovators
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Show Notes
We get into what separates a great guitar from an expensive one, why the last 2% of building a guitar is almost 20% of the work, how a fresh guitar has to "forget it was a tree" before it really comes alive, why Michael doesn't put his name on the headstock, and how his nearly 2-million-view documentary on YouTube happened almost by accident. Oh, and he's also my cousin. Kind of.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 — Intro & welcoming Michael and his guitar to the studio
00:31 — Can a guitar maker actually play guitar?
02:30 — How insurance money, a stolen laptop, and a stranger's home workshop led to a career
08:00 — From kit guitars to building from scratch — the early learning years 13:00 — What sets a Bashkin guitar apart: signature fret markers, headstock inlay & no logo 1
8:00 — Over 200 guitars built — pricing from $17K to $30K+ and what drives the cost
22:00 — The process: 100 to 240 hours per guitar, and why the last 2% is the hardest
26:00 — Why guitars need to "forget they were trees" — how new guitars evolve in sound
30:00 — Harvesting his own wood: standing dead Engelman Spruce from North Park, Colorado
34:00 — Favorite materials: Italian spruce, Lutz spruce, Brazilian rosewood, ebony
38:00 — Art vs. precision instrument — where does a Bashkin guitar fall? 42:00 — Describing the Bashkin sound: vintage low-end, contemporary highs, fingerstyle focused
47:00 — The StewMac documentary: nearly 2 million views on a 2-hour guitar build
52:00 — The Fretboard Journal Podcast: 110 episodes over 9 years
56:00 — Upcoming: Sound Messe guitar show in Osaka, Japan & guitars in progress for 2026
1:00:00 — Final Thoughts & Closing
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🔗 CONNECT WITH MICHAEL BASHKIN:
🌐 Website: https://www.bashkinguitars.com/
📸 Instagram: @bashkin_guitars
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