Michael Bashkin - Building $30,000 Guitars By Hand & The Art of Luthiers | Robertson Stash Podcast

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