About Wayne Henderson's guitar
 

I ve seen some players has waiting for more than 10 years to get a guitar from Wayne Henderson. Someone told me that he had tried 10 years to get a new one from Henderson, but finally he had to gave up.
I am so curious about this, what is the reason for new Henderson guitar is so hard to get? I know someone like Kim walker, olson or other great Luthiers. They may close taking order for a long time, but i can see the opportunity, but for wayne, i dont think i can see the opportunity to get new one from him. I just want to know why? Thank you!

Allot of us want to know.

I have heard that if you have the right car or shotgun to trade, position on the list can be improved.

Clearly, the publication of "Clapton's Guitar" increased the demand for Wayne's guitars. That said, the right vintage firearm or Martin will shoot you up on the list. I saw Wayne perform several years ago in a small venue where he passes his guitars around for all to handle, play or admire. He had an 0 model that he'd built as a special order for someone in the audience. I got the impression that it wasn't the customer's first Henderson....

Nothing is worth waiting that long but that's just me. They're are way too many fine custom builders out there these days to wait a whopping 10 years for a certain builder to get around to your dream instrument. Crap, they could die in that span of time,,,or you could!

Mr. Henderson is very particular about who he builds a guitar for. If he doesn't like you - you're out. He is his own man and as an artist, musician and luthier, he can choose his prices (which are crazy low) and who he builds for. No mystery just his choice.

And doesn't he carve the entire guitar with a jackknife? That would add a bit of time to the process ;)

He is unaffected by the hype over his guitars and he is uninterested in capitalising on his fame to charge the kind fo prices many luthiers charge aa they are runnjng a business. Instead he seems to build sinply because he likes to do it and if he is intrigued by the idea of building it or a particular customer he will do so (without the need for any apple pies!) as he doesnt seem to have a build list that he runs sequentially down like all other luthiers. Wayne henderson is one of a kind and one senses that he would be just happy finger picking and building his guitars for himself and friends if it werent for the fact that t just so happens that he is famed and respected and admired for both talents. If you think about it, how many can claim to hace such contentment and inner balance to have such a life especially if one id blessed with that kind of talent?

What'd he say????

Wayne is an incredible human being. One of the nicest and most humble people I have ever met. Incredible player and builder.

To the OP's question. I have played Wayne's personal guitar as well as 3-4 new, (built within the last 10 years), Hendersons.
Wayne's personal guitar, which he built 30+ years ago, sounds incredible. The most memorable one was a Euro/African Black Wood that was beyond incredible. If you get a chance play one. That's part of the reason people would wait 10 years to get one.

Shotguns, antique knives, and prewar Martin's, old Gibson's, or just about any vintage guitars, are good bargaining chips....as are homemade pies delivered to the shop weekly! :D

FWIW while standing in the barbecue line for an inordinate amount of time at the Henderson Music Festival several years ago, I was privy to much Wayne Henderson "inside info" from others in line. Everybody had a story; everybody had their name near the top of the waiting list; and everybody knew the best way to bypass the ten year wait. Although Clapton's Guitar's author talked about pies, those in line for barbecue quickly dismissed that. At the time, vintage pistols were seemingly Wayne's Achilles' heel. On the other hand, nobody seemed to have a shortcut to purchase food after two other vendors bailed at the last minute...

As others have said Wayne marches to the beat of his own drummer. I think a lot of people buy his guitars as an investment. It might take 10 years but as soon as you get one you could flip it for 5 times the price he sold it to you.

That's sad, when he's not like that.

I think the pies are funny....there are people that really do that.....I guess they read the Clapton's Guitar book.

Vintage pistols and shotguns are definitely his Achilles heel.

The man Henderson learned from wouldn't raise his prices on his fiddles. He wanted them to be accessible to the players. People kept telling him to raise his prices but he didn't want to. For him it was all about music.