Asher Guitars
BY RICH OSWEILER
Bill Asher built his first guitar in his high school’s woodshop class for his
final project. While his teacher had never
been approached with a request to build
a guitar, he was supportive given Asher’s
excitement about the project. Bringing
his ’ 75 Strat to the shop for guidelines on
the specs, he picked out a nice piece of
purple-heart wood, made a paper template
for the body’s shape and cavities, and
started milling. Once the body was complete and the purchased neck was mounted, Asher went to the local guitar repair
shop run by Jeff Lunsford and asked for
help with the electronics and bridge placement. Lunsford agreed and it was in his
shop where Asher completed his guitar
while developing a clear vision of what he
wanted to do for a living. What started as
a volunteer stint turned into a four year,
life-changing apprenticeship.
Over the next 12 years Asher worked
in repair shops and with various luthiers
in the Los Angeles area before starting his
own repair shop called Guitar Traditions.
It was 1998 when he got a call from Ben
Harper, who asked if Asher could design
a modern, electric lap steel fashioned after
Harper’s acoustic Weissenborn. The prototype came out so well that he ordered two
more and both Asher and Harper agreed
it should be an artist signature model.
One of Asher’s proudest moments came
a year later when Harper was pictured on
the cover of a prominent music publication while holding his Asher lap steel. The
event really got him focused on designing
the line of guitars he builds today, which
includes three lap steel models and three
guitar models.
“The best thing I did to gain the knowledge and skills needed for building guitars
was starting out in repair. I spent nearly
15 years repairing guitars before designing
the line of instruments I build now,” said
Asher when asked what advice he’d give to
an aspiring luthier. “When I look back at
my four-year apprenticeship, it is apparent
to me that it took that long to be proficient
enough to work on other peoples’ guitars
without serious supervision, or have the
know-how to build one correctly.”
Electro Sonic
Inspired by Asher’s lap steel guitars, the
Electro Sonic is designed for bottleneck
players and guitarists looking for fat tone
and great sustain. The handcarved neck—a
constructed from quartersawn mahogany
and topped with a Madagascar rosewood
fretboard—has a smooth transition into
the body for easy access to the upper frets.
With a pickup option of either Asher A-92s
or Steel Buckers, this instrument boasts
highly-detailed fretwork and a final setup
performed by Bill Asher himself.
Ben Harper Signature Model
The Ben Harper Signature Model lap steel
was designed to capture the classic tone of
a ’ 59 Les Paul, the unique vibe of a vintage
Weissenborn, and the feel and sustain of an
Asher lap steel. In the words of Ben Harper,
“I’m as excited about having this guitar in
the world as much as my music, really. It’s
that amazing of an electric guitar.” A unique
hybrid, this lap steel features an African
mahogany body and neck, Brazilian rosewood fretboard, TonePros bridge and tailpiece, and is loaded with a pair of Seymour
Duncan Custom Shop humbuckers.
