After more than 30 years of following his musical passion, Ben Lomond resident and world-renowned classical guitar luthier Kenny Hill hasn’t dropped a beat.
Hill, 69, creates high-end, custom-made guitars in his spacious workspace off Highway 9, while operating a guitar factory the size of Ben Lomond in the Chinese city of Guazhou.
“This is a labor of love, not just a product,” says Hill, who is joined locally at Hill Guitar Co. by artisans Owen Kelly, Francisco Hernandez, Joseph King, Ben Lambdin and Agustin Gaytanlll. “It’s a special privilege that I love to do every day.”
Hill, who lives with wife Roberta (the couple has four grown children), is known as one of the most accomplished, experienced, and versatile classical guitar makers in the world. He is also recognized as a player, teacher, and innovator.
Hill is a full-on proponent of furthering the art of classical guitar worldwide. Hill recently traveled to China to propel musical interest in its young people.
“To build a guitar culture begins with young people,” said Hill, who began Martinez Musical Instrument Ltd in China with two partners and eight employees in 2006.
The sprawling factory now is home to 250 workers and makes about 300 handmade guitars annually, which sell from $600 to $2,400. The guitar factory makes 50,000 machine-made guitars a year that sell worldwide.
In his Ben Lomond shop between 80 and 100 guitars are hand-crafted each year, which range in price from $5,000 to $15,000.
Hill explained that when he first ventured into the Chinese market things were wide open, with the growing middle class just beginning to have a discretionary income.
“It was much more primitive than it is now,” said Hill, adding that teachers, not music stores, are the market drivers. “I was Johnny Appleseed when I started building classical guitars.”
Hill has travelled more than 70 times to China to market his craft. While there, he sponsors music festivals, concerts and workshops. Hill also travels to Europe to promote his business at least twice a year.
Promising guitar students in China take a much more focused approach to learning that their American counterparts, he said.
“It’s more like a family,” said Hill, adding that students often move in the same neighborhood as their teacher. “Every interaction has the potential of teaching.”
Hill’s climb to becoming the quintessential classical guitar craftsman began as a teenager in the 1960s. While he grew up in San Jose, Hill absorbed every kind of music he could get his hands on.
After a brief stint as a guitar repairman, Hill, on an impulse, purchased wood making tools for $250 and began to make instruments.
“It was all about following my passion,” said Hill, who began practicing his craft in Santa Barbara. “(I said) this is what I want to do and I’m just going to damn well do it.”
During this time, Hill became an accomplished guitarist by studying with the master players that came through his area.
He moved back to Santa Cruz County in the late ‘70s and continued playing and crafting, with a break to run an automotive shop and travel to Mexico to study with master luthier Jose Luis Romannillos.
Today, world-class concert guitarists such as Chen XI and Emmanuel Rossfelder enjoy the exquisite beauty of Hill’s guitars. Hill notes that he also makes high-end instruments for non-professional people “who just want to play a nice guitar.”
Hill maintains his high-energy lifestyle with no thoughts of retirement. “Retirement means you’re too weak to do what you want to do,” he said.
Hill plays flamenco guitar at Casa Nostra Restaurant in Ben Lomond the second Wednesday of the month from 6 – 9 p.m.
