Up until now, most of our #FJFest entries have been from solo builders, luthiers around the world who tend to work by themselves or alongside one or two helpers. Maybe they’ll create just an instrument a month, to be sold at guitar shows or through commissions. Even during a lockdown, it’s easy for many of them to show off their shops, as their living quarters tend to be close by (or even in their homes).

Today, we take a peek at a larger, but still very handmade guitar operation: Sisters, Oregon’s Preston Thompson Guitars. Thanks to social distancing precautions and staggered shifts, the team at Thompson continues to produce guitars. It’s great to get a personalized shop tour of the space during a relatively quiet moment. Joel Chadd shows us the workflow of a guitar and, if you watch through the 10-minute mark, you’ll get a glimpse at one of the wildest looking acoustics we’ve seen: a quilted Maple “Koi Pond” Masterpiece Series guitar with painted fish adorning the back.

Follow Thompson Guitars here. And listen to our podcast interview with the company’s late founder, Preston Thompson, from 2015 here.

#FJFest is the Fretboard Journal‘s way of staying connected during these difficult times: Expect to see never-before-seen shop tours from guitarmakers, unique music performances and a ton of beautiful instruments on a daily basis throughout March 2020 and beyond.

See our ever-growing #FJFest posts here.

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