Meet The Makers: Nik Huber of Nik Huber Guitars

Nik Huber’s knack for building really comes as no surprise. After all, woodworking is in his blood – his father, grandfather and great grandfather were all skilled cabinetmakers. Combining that rich heritage that spans over a century with his love of music, Huber realised his dreams of becoming a luthier.

Today, Nik Huber Guitars of Rodgau, Germany has grown into a team of builders eight strong, operating out of a state-of-the-art workshop. Together, they put out 240 handcrafted instruments each year – though, the number doesn’t quite matter to Huber, as he says the mantra for the business is not “more, more”, it’s “better, better, better”.

Apart from the woodworking lessons instilled into him by his father, Huber recognises legendary luthier Paul Reed Smith as a mentor. Their relationship began in 1994, when Huber showed Smith one of his early guitars in search of feedback. A few faxes later – this was before email was commonplace – their correspondence kicked off and Smith would periodically provide a young Huber with some well-placed advice on improving his guitars. Over the years, Smith’s influence on Huber has been obvious, especially when considering models like the Dolphin II.

Since debuting his creations at the 1997 Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Huber’s guitars have been lauded by both his peers in the luthier community, as well by the artists who wield them. In particular, players of heavy genres have been drawn to Huber’s instruments. His creations have found their way into the backlines of bands like Red Fang, the Cancer Bats, Russian Circles, Foo Fighters and many more.

Nik Huber Guitars now boasts a range of 10 electric guitars, as well a bass model.

Learn more about Nik Huber in the video above.

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