Lehmann

Bernie Lehmann Biography

Lehmann Stringed Instruments is a full service shop dedicated to stringed instruments. He has been custom building early and modern instruments since 1971, and this is the main focus of the business. Each instrument built is unique in its woods and decoration. The vintage instruments that leave our shop are guaranteed to be in the best playing condition possible, and attention to detail is our hallmark.

Bernie Lehmann was trained by master luthier Owen Shaw in Boston, and perfected his trade by hand building over 400 custom made instruments. He received a degree in Experimental Design from Syracuse University in 1971 and has been making custom stringed instruments since then.

Steel string guitars are the speciality of the shop, but he has made a wide variety of instruments throughout his career. These include steel string and classical guitars; lutes and vihuelas; rebecs and vielles (medieval fiddles), mandolin family instruments including octave mandolins, banjo necks (both historical copies and modern style), dulcimers and several one-off instruments including electric guitars and basses, and guitar telephones (huh?).

Artists who play Lehmann: Rodney Jones, Steve Greene, Kinloch Nelson, Rolly Brown