How Custom Instrument Building Works at Lehmann Stringed Instruments

Lehmann Stringed Instruments is a one-person workshop in Rochester, NY, where luthier Bernie Lehmann has built handmade guitars and other fine instruments since 1972. If you want a custom instrument, the process starts with a conversation about how you play and what you want the instrument to do — not with a fixed catalog and a checkout button. The site describes finished models and design directions rather than a published order form or price list, so the practical first step is to contact the workshop directly to discuss your project.

What the workshop actually offers

The site presents Lehmann as a maker of custom-designed, handmade instruments. The models named on the page give a sense of the range:

These are design directions, not a menu with fixed specifications. The recurring theme is that each instrument is custom designed and built, so the model names are starting points for a conversation rather than off-the-shelf SKUs.

How the custom process works

1. Start with your playing needs

The site frames its instruments around the player and the setting: a jazz guitar for the jazz player, an archtop ready for the club, big stage, or spare bedroom, a Cadenza for the classically-oriented player. That framing tells you what to bring to the first conversation:

• What kind of music you play and where you play it
• The body style and tonal direction you're drawn to (flattop, archtop, and so on)
• Any ergonomic preferences — scale length, neck feel, body size
• Decorative and material preferences, such as the ebony and pierced rose sound hole on the Master Model 2000, or the burled maple on the Contempo Archtop

2. Agree on the design

Because the workshop builds to order, the design stage is where model names, materials, and ornamentation get pinned down. The site's descriptions of hand-cut details like the pierced rose sound hole show that decorative work is part of the build, not an afterthought. Expect this stage to be a back-and-forth: you describe what you want, the maker translates it into a buildable design, and you confirm before work begins.

3. Build and finish

The instruments are handmade by Bernie Lehmann, whose practice dates to 1972. The site does not publish a step-by-step build timeline, so treat any schedule as something to confirm directly with the workshop rather than assume.

4. Delivery

The site does not state shipping, pickup, or payment terms. Ask about these when you make contact.

What the site does not tell you

Be aware of the gaps before you plan around them:

• No published prices. The site shows no pricing signals, so cost is a conversation, not a listed figure.
• No stated lead times. Build time for a handmade instrument varies with design complexity; confirm it directly.
• No online ordering. There is no checkout or order form described, so contact is the entry point.
• No deposit or payment details. These are not mentioned and should not be assumed.

How to start

1. Decide what you want the instrument to do — genre, playing situation, tonal and ergonomic preferences.
2. Note which existing model direction is closest to your idea, using the table above as a reference.
3. Contact Lehmann Stringed Instruments at the Rochester, NY workshop to discuss your project, timeline, and cost.
4. If you want to see the instruments in person, the site notes that The Artisan Guitar Show in Harrisburg, PA opens April 10–12, 2026 — an opportunity to meet the maker and handle the work before commissioning.

The short version: this is a commission-based, one-maker workshop. You bring your playing needs, the maker brings fifty-plus years of hand-building experience, and the instrument gets designed between you. Everything about price, schedule, and logistics has to come from the workshop itself.