As a follow-up to Nicolais chat with Graham Henman from Henman Guitars at NAMM, we got the opportunity to make a small interview with Graham per mail. Here, he you can read more about the story behind the design of the guitars, the significant role, which Graham’s wife Paris plays in this, and the idea behind the stunning photo campaign that promotes Henman Guitars.

1. Hi Graham, thanks again for taking your time to do this. Could you first explain, what made you enter the guitar business?
It was completely by default. A few years ago we were approached to provide the financing for a guitar company. We agreed on the condition that Paris and I designed the instruments.
From that point on, we went full bore into researching every cool vintage guitar from the 50s and 60s.

The guitar builder as a young man – Copyright: Henman Guitars

2. What are your focal points, when planning out the construction of the guitar?
There are 2 main focal points: Modern minimal design and exceptional playability.
First, the designs had to be very modern with a very simplified design aesthetic, but at the same time, evoking the nostalgia and history of classic vintage designs.
And then most importantly, exquisite performance. Superb comfort, balance, ease of playability and great tonal qualities with beautiful sustain and resonance.

3. Could you tell us more about your wife Paris’ role within Henman Guitars?
Paris has a great eye for fashion and good design. She was a fashion stylist for many years, which is actually how we met. She is very visual and sees everything photographically and then I’m the interpreter. We work together like different sides of one brain. Her imprint is everywhere. She and I designed the instruments together.
She also chose all of the color finishes and oversaw all the final sampling and tinting. However if truth be told, she is quite an extreme minimalist and naturally gravitates to a more minimal color palette of black, white, silvers, gunmetals etc, where as I like to push for a bit of color. I like to think we compliment each other.

4. As a photographer, how important are the aesthetics to you, when designing the Henman guitars?
Aesthetics of well designed products are crucial for me. A well designed instrument becomes a piece of art, a piece of history.
It evokes an emotional response that goes beyond its function. The goal is to produce guitars that have the potential to become iconic in years to come.

5. Can you please tell us something about how you came to work with Rick Turner?
After our original collaboration became financially unviable, we did our homework and searched for an ideal partner to help us fully realize the potential of these beautiful instruments.
Rick Turner totally understood what we were trying to achieve and had the pedigree, craftsmanship, experience and most importantly, the dedication to build these instruments to a much higher level of quality craftsmanship than we had experienced before.

6. How did you come up with the idea behind your promotion of your guitars? The look is striking.
I’ve been a director working with clients for many years, creating their ad campaigns to help sell all kinds of products. Its all very natural to me.
When I looked at what was going on in the guitar industry, I was horrified. The lack of taste and quality in general was astounding.
I decided to keep it simple, just like the instruments. Strip away all the unnecessary. We also had no budget for advertising, so we used our talents and what we had at hand.
It became home grown. I photographed everything, Paris styled everything and in the absence of a famous face, our son became our branding icon.
I love that we created something completely different from what people were used to seeing.

Henman Jr. equipped with a Mod – Copyright: Henman Guitars

7. What are your preferred types of wood when making guitars?
Mahogany, maple and ebony. All our instruments are made from a single mahogany block, 1/2 inch maple tops and ebony fingerboards. The combination is fabulous.

8. What are your ambitions on behalf of Henman Guitars in the future?
We would like to see ourselves grow from a small boutique builder into a small manufacturer. Our goal is to be recognized as the designers and builders of truly remarkable guitars, both aesthetically and performance-wise. We hope to see our instruments in the capable hands of respected players and collectors all around the globe.