Luthier Wayne Henderson Workshop Tour 2014
A visit by "Wood & Shop" to the workshop of legendary guitar luthier and bluegrass musician, Wayne Henderson. Wayne Henderson Guitars sits along a quiet country rode in the rural village of Rugby, Virginia. Wayne Henderson’s performance resume stretches from The White House to Carnegie Hall, and all the way to the Queen of England. Wayne Henderson is perhaps even more well-known for his world-class custom-made guitars and mandolins. Over 500 custom Henderson Guitars have graced the fingers of world-renowned musicians such as Eric Clapton, Doc Watson, Peter Rowan, Norman Blake, and Brad Paisley. Before his death, Doc Watson (Wayne’s close friend) was a regular visitor to the wood shop. Wayne Henderson’s personal apprentice has been his daughter, Elizabeth “Jane” Henderson.
Transcript
01:00So who are some of the notable people you've made guitars or mandolins for?
01:29Well, I made mandolins for bluegrass people like Doc Watson and Peter Rowan.
01:34Which I know, yeah.
01:35And I made guitars for Eric Clapton and Norman Blake.
01:39Wow.
01:40And Doc Watson, too.
01:42And Tommy Madden, one of the best pickers in the world, probably.
01:47You know, he's got one of my guitars.
01:49Wow.
01:50And, oh, I can't remember his name at all.
01:55How long did it take you to make this one?
01:58It takes me a couple of weeks to do these things.
02:01Okay.
02:02They're all this carbon that's cut out of a thick piece, you know, to get the arch in it and everything.
02:07It is copied after a Gibson mandolin, an F5, made in the 1920s.
02:13And when they, at the time, those were made like that, there was a fellow named Lloyd Lower who worked for the company.
02:20Okay.
02:21And he had them do that.
02:22Had them put together and string them up and let him test them.
02:27And if he approved them, he would sign the label.
02:31And I've got even copies of those labels, but I put my name on them instead.
02:35Instead of his, right?
02:36Oh, it takes a lot of whittling and carving and messing.
02:39I still got a lot of sanding to do before I finish them.
02:41Oh, wow.
02:42So do you play the mandolin then?
02:44I can play a little bit.
02:56Oh, wow.
03:26Okay.
03:57Give a list of people, influential, important people who you've played music for.
04:03Well, probably did play in the White House one time.
04:07Which president was that?
04:08Clinton.
04:09Okay.
04:10Got to meet Hillary.
04:11Oh, yeah.
04:13Played in Carnegie Hall.
04:15All right.
04:17Queen.
04:18Yeah, played for the Queen.
04:19All right.
04:20That's pretty good.
04:21Was that in England?
04:22No, when she came to Richmond.
04:24Oh, okay.
04:25No, she came to Richmond.
04:26But you've played in...
04:27She came over for my birthday.
04:31You and her are tight, huh?
04:32Yeah.
04:55So these are the pick guards?
04:56Mm-hmm.
04:57These are the pick guards.
04:58You make them out of a chemical or...?
04:59Made out of epoxy.
05:00Epoxy.
05:01Really?
05:02So, yeah, it's just plastic and you wait for it to dry and then...
05:03And this one, I was going to...
05:04My dad asked me to try and make a Paisley one to put on Brad Paisley's guitar because
05:05he wanted something Paisley on his.
05:06And so, does that look Paisley?
05:07Yes.
05:08It's like the...
05:09I don't know.
05:10I don't know.
05:11I don't know.
05:12I don't know.
05:13I don't know.
05:14I don't know.
05:15I don't know.
05:16I don't know.
05:17I don't know.
05:18I don't know.
05:19I don't know.
05:20Yeah.
05:21Yeah.
05:22Daddy's upset.
05:23He's going to have to wear a Paisley purple bow tie for our wedding.
05:24You are?
05:25Yeah.
05:26He's really upset about it.
05:27They're just kind of...
05:28It's a really cool process.
05:29Yeah.
05:30It's just fun to do.
05:31It's like a surfboard epoxy.
05:32Oh, yeah.
05:33Okay.
05:34You mix it up in one color first and then you just stir in all the design and stuff.
05:35Okay.
05:36So you get creative.
05:37Yeah.
05:38Yeah.
05:39Yeah.
05:40Yeah.
05:41Yeah.
05:42Yeah.
05:43Yeah.
05:44Yeah.
05:45Yeah.
05:46Yeah.
05:47Yeah.
05:48Yeah.
05:50Okay.
05:51So you get creative.
05:52Then you bake it in a little box out there with light bulbs for about three hours.
05:57So how did Brad Paisley get a hold of you for...
06:00Well, I just know his record producer's dad is a friend of mine, and so they talk about
06:08it and everything.
06:09I built a mandolin for him that they use on some of his records and then he asked for
06:14a guitar.
06:15So I guess hopefully I'll get around to making it sometime.
06:21How long does he have to wait?
06:22Well, probably not too long.
06:23If I can get some of this other stuff done, you know, so I can work on it.
06:29So there's bluegrass legend Doc Watson off of DuPoint.
06:32Actually, I was going to make you a bracelet.
06:35It's quite the stick.
06:37So this is Wayne and Doc Watson here.
06:41You said some mason guy built it on...
06:43He just came in and started building it.
06:45And it's kind of neat.
06:46It's a little bench.
06:47And there are these little things.
06:48That's wild.
06:49That sit in there.
06:50And what is that?
06:51I don't know.
06:52It's just like, I don't know.
06:53So this is the first guitar you ever made?
06:57First one that got made with a number in it.
07:04What's the significance of that then?
07:06Well, I've been numbering every one I've ever made since.
07:09Oh, I got you.
07:10Okay.
07:11What number are you up to now?
07:12536.
07:14These things are made out of, there's an old cow that died up on the hill, and I went
07:21up there and got the bones with a file and filed them out.
07:26And these little blocks just cut out of walnut and maple with a whittling knife.
07:34That thing too.
07:37Do you still have the very first one you made as a kid?
07:40Yeah, well.
07:41I've got a box, a cardboard box, with a wooden neck on it.
07:46Fish line.
07:47And how old were you when you made that, Eddie?
07:50Oh, I'd say 7 or 8.
07:53This is the first guitar you ever made?
07:55That's one of the first ones.
07:56I can't remember.
07:57That's so cute.
07:58How long has it been since you played it?
08:01Oh, it's just got one string on it.
08:07Got a mouse hole in it.
08:11Well, I used to re-box them.
08:12It's probably older than that, but it's like a, what, a 1950, 59, or it might be 50.
08:18And how old were you when you made this?
08:20I would say 7 or 8, somewhere.
08:22I can't remember for sure.
08:23So was this just a two-string guitar?
08:26Yeah, that's just a, it had fish line on it, but I could play a tune on it at the time.
08:32Or play something.
08:41That is so cool.
08:47Look how pretty.
08:48Joseph, do you want to make a guitar out of a tobacco box?
08:53No.
08:54No.
08:55Not today.
08:58Hooey.
09:00Joseph.
09:01Hooey.
09:03And what is this called?
09:04A hooey stick.
09:05A hooey stick.
09:06Say hooey, it'll go the other way.
09:08That's what it is, huh?
09:09Yeah.
09:10Hooey.
09:13Oh, I see.
09:14Okay.
09:15Hooey.
09:17You see a propeller change?
09:18I do.
09:19Yeah, I'm just starting to see.
09:40That's cool.
09:43Yeah.
09:44That's cool.
09:45Yeah.
09:46Yeah.
09:47Yeah.
09:48That's good.
09:52Yeah.
09:53Yeah.
09:54Yeah.
09:55Yeah.
09:56Yeah.
09:57Yeah.
09:58Yeah.
09:59Yeah.
10:00Yeah.
10:01Yeah.
10:02Yeah.
10:03Yeah.
10:04Yeah.
10:05Yeah.
10:06Yeah.
10:07Yeah.
10:08Yeah.
10:09Yeah.
10:30All right.