Hohlstein has made 17 instruments over the last 10 years.
When a walnut tree on the west side of Madison lost a branch, a friend salvaged the wood and Alex Hohlstein carved it into an acoustic guitar for his wife, Charity. “The tree is still standing,” Hohlstein says. “I would love to sit under it and play it a song with that guitar.”
Fans of Madison’s music scene might recognize Hohlstein as the guitar player and singer for the lovable Americana band The Material Boys. But when he isn’t busy crooning Madonna covers and original bluegrass songs or running his own carpentry business, Hohlstein can be found in his basement workshop on Madison’s north side making custom string instruments.
He started his side business, Alex Hohlstein Custom Instruments, 10 years ago when he decided to make a guitar for himself out of leftover wood from a remodeling job. Since then, Hohlstein has made 17 instruments including basses, acoustic guitars and electric guitars. Hohlstein has even made a ukulele for his 3 ½-year-old son, who’s already no stranger to jam sessions.
Hohlstein also does repair work, but his passion lies in the creation. From the type of wood used (generally maple, mahogany or rosewood) to the color and finish, Hohlstein loves bringing that new instrument into the world.
Different on each instrument is the design of the abalone shell decorative inlay on the neck and body. Using a jeweler’s saw, Hohlstein cuts the shell into different shapes depending on his client’s interests. He has designed a wolf howling at a tree, a feather motif, and is currently cutting out horseshoes for an acoustic guitar he’s making for Adam Greuel, lead guitar player for Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, the Stevens Point-based quintet. Greuel values Hohlstein’s personal touch: “It’s not a machine pumping out guitars, it’s a real human using his time and energies to build something that will resonate with people for years,” Greuel says.
Hohlstein’s instruments aren’t cheap — they usually cost around $2,000 — but the process of making an instrument by hand is lengthy, with little room for error. It takes Hohlstein about 70 hours to make a flat top acoustic guitar and 100 hours to make an arch top.
While he loves making instruments for other musicians, it is hard to hand them over when he’s finished. “You get this feeling with custom instruments,” Hohlstein says. “When you hold one, it has its own vibe, its own personality.”
Alex Hohlstein’s Custom Instruments, 608-332-9886
