© 2024 Milwaukee Public Media is a service of UW-Milwaukee's College of Letters & Science
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Radio Chipstone: Making Discarded Wood Sing

Alex Hohlstein is a man of many titles. Husband, father, musician, carpenter, and luthier. That last one is a maker of stringed instruments like lutes, guitars, and mandolins. Hohlstein says he's been playing music a lot longer than he's been making guitars, but was always interested in how the instruments were constructed.

The actual making started 12 years ago after Hohlstein picked up a book that described how to make Arch Top Guitars. He notes that he's always had a love for wood and building things with his hands, and that it comes naturally. And since Hehlstein’s a carpenter by trade, there's always plenty of wood around.

In this edition of Radio Chipstone, Hohlstein, with the voice of his young son Lars in the background, tells contributor Gianofer Fields about how he makes bits and pieces of discarded wood sing:

Material culture contributor Gianofer Fields curates the Radio Chipstone series. The project is funded by the Chipstone Foundation, a decorative arts foundation whose mission is preserving and interpreting their collection, as well as stimulating research and education in the decorative arts.