These guitars have been done for a little while now, but I just got around to taking pics and posting them. They’re both made with Oregon myrtlewood back and sides and Port Orford cedar tops. Both great tone woods, from southern Oregon, where those trees are native. Above is a Weissenborn type. More info onContinue reading “New Guitars & Laminated Sides – April 2025”
Tag Archives: Pacific Northwest woods
Persimmon 1
When I began making guitars about ten years ago, besides being very enthusiastic about it all, I was trying to figure out which local woods would work as replacements for traditionally used tropical woods. For most of the material used in guitars, i.e the back, sides, neck, bracing and soundboard, domestic woods work well, thinkContinue reading “Persimmon 1”
February 9, 2025
I haven’t worked on the banjos since my last post, but have made good progress on two guitars. One a ‘Plectrum’ guitar and the other a Weissenborn acoustic lap steel. Both made from Myrtlewood and Port Orford Cedar. I’ve written about ‘laminated’ sides or ribs in a previous post, they’re stronger and the idea isContinue reading “February 9, 2025”
December 2024
I’m back in my shop and starting to get into a bit of a rhythm there. It was a busy farm season even though there wasn’t much soft fruit due to a January freeze (-10F). Garden vegetables, apples and various other fruits, nuts and honey carried us through the market season. I’m enjoying the WinterContinue reading “December 2024”
Banjo Making 5 – May 2024
It’s been a while I know.. busy on the farm. After the rims are turned and trued up it’s time to veneer the outside and inside. I’ve experimented with regular veneer, which is pretty thin (about 1/24″, or 0.024″, or 0.6 mm) which is a standard thickness, and found it to be too thin. It’sContinue reading “Banjo Making 5 – May 2024”
New Guitars – March 2023
It’s been a while since I’ve been here. I will try to do better.. I’ve recently finished three Koa Weissenborn type guitars. Two are all Koa, the top, back and sides, the third has Koa back and sides with a Red Cedar top. Almost all my work is with local/domestic woods, but I went exoticContinue reading “New Guitars – March 2023”
# 11
When I make guitars, I usually make at least two at a time. It doesn’t take twice as long, maybe half as long again as making two separately. I don’t have any inclinations to become a factory, but more then one at a time seems to work well for me. In 2018 I made four,Continue reading “# 11”
Michael Hampel Guitars
I make my guitars in my shop located in the Eastern Foothills of the North Cascades of Washington state. The wood I use is local or regionally harvested. My goal is to make a great playing and sounding guitars using wood from trees grown in the Pacific Northwest.
Hampel Guitars 