[Wade Hampton]

I'm glad that Bruce Sexauer is impressed by the set of wood I picked out. My buddy Duane Waterman was president of Luthiers Mercantile International for a few years, and when I went down to visit him and the LMI operation in 2001 I asked Duane and several of the LMI employees: "Who's the most exacting and fanatically detail-oriented luthier you deal with?"

Duane, and each and every one of those employees (including Chris, who's running the place these days,) without any hesitation at all answered: "Bruce Sexauer."

None of this was collaborative on their parts - I made a point to ask each person separately, out of earshot of anyone else. And each and every one of the LMI staffers I asked answered "Bruce Sexauer," all of them without so much as an instant of hesitation.

So it's encouraging, to say the very least, Bruce, that you're impressed by this set of wood. I happen to be hugely impressed by your guitars.

I just got off the phone with Howard, who'd left a message on my answering machine asking me about my wood choices for the fretboard, bridge and peghead veneer. I called him, we discussed it, and I basically told him to go with whatever his gut told him were the best choices. "Not only that," I continued, "but if you get to a point where you need to make a crucial decision about ANYTHING that we haven't discussed, and you can't reach me, you just go ahead and choose whatever you think is going to make the guitar a better instrument."

Because Howard is the guy who's got the skills, the experience, the proper context and the pieces of wood right there in his hands to choose from, not me. All I care about is how it sounds...

Howard did tell me: "Hey, I'm really having FUN building this guitar," and I said "That's how it should be." Because, I told him, I feel that when a creative artist like a custom guitar builder is really enjoying what they're doing, that's when the results turn out the best.

"That makes sense," Howard said, "because when I'm enjoying the process my intuitions are sharper and my sense of how to work with the materials is that much better."

So, yeah, it's a blast, frankly. I know the guitar will be great when it's done, because I know what I'm seeking musically and am articulate enough to communicate that to Howard. He's got the guitar-building chops to pull it off, and he knows that this isn't some sort of ego trip or confidence-building operation on my part - I'm just looking for a great guitar. So we're both having fun.

Which is as it should be.


Wade Hampton Miller