Kentucky Guitar Works is set to open this spring in downtown Owensboro, and resident luthier Rick Faris — last year’s International Bluegrass Music Association’s New Artist of the Year — has started moving equipment into the building.
Faris comes to Owensboro from Topeka, Kansas; he is in town for 15 days before returning to his current home to move the remainder of his family to town.
The Kentucky Guitar Works at the Center for Lutherie will be located in the building formerly occupied by the International Bluegrass Music Museum at 207 Second Street. Faris and his company, Faris Guitar, will serve as the primary tenants. Faris will be crafting, selling, and teaching how to make guitars.
The space is separated into three different areas based on the lutherie experience. A lutherie is a center specifically for repairing and crafting string instruments. When guests walk in, they will enter the Guitar Gallery and Picking Parlor, where they will have guitars Faris has made for sale.
From there, Faris will have a workbench area where lutherie classes will be held to teach people how to build a guitar. Behind a half-wall, guests can see the fabrication area where Faris builds the guitars.
“We’ll be doing everything from making components to building the actual guitars, finishing them here and then playing them in the front room. So it’s literally from A to Z it’s going to happen right here,” Faris said.
Faris has been crafting guitars for over 20 years, and he said having a facility like the Kentucky Guitar Works is a rare commodity.
“This is really just a place where learning can happen, where people can see a dream guitar come together,” Faris said. “We’re just super excited to be doing something that nobody else is doing.”
Steve Johnson, Director of the Bluegrass Music Initiative, said they are aiming for a spring opening date. He assures there will be plenty of tours and an experience for all instrument enthusiasts to enjoy.
“This could be a living, breathing place where musicians, artists, visitors, curiosity seekers and the like can come here and see how things are made and how they’re done,” he said. “This is going to be a vibrant part of a community in terms of education and all those things.”
