When the universe speaks, you should listen.

In early 2021, as the world began to open up for the first time post pandemic, I was contacted by a friend telling me that another local luthier named Michael Hemken had recently lost his battle with prostate cancer and that I should contact his surviving wife because before he had passed, he carefully cataloged all his wood and tools for her to sell when he was gone.  I was a little late to the game, but I went for a visit anyhow, knowing that things had already been picked over a bit and there might not be anything that I could use.  To my surprise, there was quite a bit of material intended for arch tops that nobody had touched.  Unbelievable!  Archtop billets for carved tops and backs are a rare and precious thing.  Even more so if they have been carefully stored and aged for years, if not decades like this stuff was. I jumped at the opportunity to become the new steward for Michael’s precious material and I felt that a special project was necessary for such special material.  I decided to build an instrument using the material for the upcoming Rocky Mountain Archtop Guitar Festival as a way to include him in the celebration of the instrument that we both love.

Then in August of that year, I had an accident while trying to unload a piece of shop equipment that resulted in a severed tendon in the pinky of my left hand and a broken left foot at the same time.  I’ve had a lot of close calls in the past, having worked in the trades for most of my life up to that point, but this was the first time that I didn’t escape.  It was kind of astonishing how fast everything happened and the impact that had on how the future looked.  My entire identity was wrapped up in my hands and my ability to use them, both for work and play.  I think any guitar player can relate to the trauma of a hand injury and I definitely spent some time feeling sorry for myself, but thankfully most of my obligations had been canceled due to new COVID restrictions, giving me time to heal without too much stress.  I also tried to make the best of my 3 months stuck on the couch by working on a new design with my one useable hand (resulting in a new model, “The 5th”) and doing some research to improve my electronics circuit… there’s usually a silver lining if you look for it.

When I was finally able to get back to work, it was right about the time that everything was opening back up again, for real this time.  All of the events that I had committed to from previous years that had been canceled, were now all happening that year, seemingly back to back to back.  I was broke (having not worked for 3 months), behind on my orders, and stressing about how I was going to get it all done.  Ignoring strong advice against the decision from my at the time shop mate, Maegen Wells, one evening I made the decision to postpone making the Hemken tribute instrument until the following year, so that I could focus on the instruments that would help with my financial situation.  Literally the very next next day I received an unexpected text from Michael’s widow, Revalee, and after a quick exchange, we realized that it was a mixup (wrong Tyler) and I also discovered that it was the one year anniversary of Michael’s passing.  I was working at the Ribbecke shop that day, but upon receiving that information, I immediately stopped what I was doing, drove to my storage unit to select materials, and began work on the instrument that day.  I felt like the universe had sent me a definite message and I needed to listen.

After the instrument was completed, I shared the story with Revalee and learned that Michael also had a background in the trades and had been involved in a much more traumatic accident involving a tractor, earlier in life.  His ordeal and dedication to his journey back to health put my little problem in perspective and helped me to quit feeling sorry for myself.  She said his motto was “Treat getting better like a full time job and keep moving forward.”  It was clear that he carried that attitude all the way to the end by the way he pragmatically cataloged and organized all of his Lutherie paraphernalia to be sold. Removing the burden of figuring out what is there, what it’s worth, and to help provide a little extra for Revalee when he was gone.  I tried to extend this intention a little further by also sharing a portion of the sale with her when the instrument eventually found its forever home.

All of the materials used in The “Hemken Tribute Fugue” came from his estate. The pieces that I chose to use are special and not just because of their age and origin. The back, sides, and neck were all cut from the same, single large billet of Big leaf Maple.  All of the Ebony parts were cut out of a single large hunk of Ebony and the European Spruce top is one that Michael himself joined up an unknown number of years ago.

It was an honor to shape those precious materials into a finished instrument and it opened up a new paradigm for me in the way that I view the instruments that I make.  Each one has a story behind it that I now think about something like the soul of the instrument. It is inevitable that some will start off deeper than others, but knowing that the story begins with me and will hopefully continue long after I am gone, motivates me to invest the thought and energy to make it as special as possible from the beginning. I owe a lot to the people that came before me and building that instrument, with those materials was an important way for me to actively remember that. Sharing the story helps keep the feeling fresh and expand the paradigm, while paying respect to one of the individuals who helped make it possible for me to pursue my dreams. Thank you Michael.