Once home contractor – now North Carolina custom guitar builder, Jay Lichty knew deep down inside his life was about to change the day he built his first instrument.

Jay has been a musician all his life and a homebuilder for the better part of his professional career. When the economic downturn impacted the home construction industry and work became scarce Jay decided to try his hand at building a ukulele in his new-found free time, just for fun mind you.  One carefully handcrafted ukulele led to another. Within months of building that first instrument Jay had the good fortune of taking a guitar-building workshop with renowned custom guitar builder, Wayne Henderson.

“I’m proud to say I taught Jay to build his first guitar. His guitars show great craftsmanship and sound really good.” – Wayne Henderson, master luthier, mentor and all around great guy.

There has been no looking back since that first guitar. As Jay strives to build the best handmade acoustic guitars and handmade ukuleles around, he continues to deepen his skills and expertise through ongoing study. As a case in point, he has taken an advanced guitar building workshop with renowned luthier Charles Fox.

Jay has taken the attention he gave to quality and to polished details in his high-end home construction business into his luthier shop and into his craft. Working with premium domestic and exotic woods and the finest materials, he crafts each guitar and ukulele with the greatest care. Most instruments are custom-built to order and he includes each customer in the design process to ensure that their finished guitar or ukulele fits like a glove; visually, esthetically and tonally.

Jay hammered shut his contracting business and strung up his luthier business in the fall of 2009. Within its first year of business Lichty Guitars experienced tremendous success. Custom guitar and ukulele orders poured in, Garden & Gun magazine named Lichty Guitars the overall winner of the prestigious Made in the South awards, and world-touring professional musicians lined up to get a Lichty. A partial list of these professional musicians includes Geoff Achison (internationally acclaimed Australian guitarist), Tom and Mike Gossin (Gloriana) Doug Lancio, (Nashville producer and lead guitarist for John Hiatt and Patty Griffin), Jody Porter (Fountains of Wayne), SC singer/songwriter Haley Dreis and Japanese guitarist Shohei Toyoda.

As of the fall of 2011 Jay has crafted over 45 guitars, 20 ukuleles and has a growing wait-list.

While Jay works in the luthier shop, his wife and business partner Corrie Woods works on getting the word out. She manages all facets of promotion including design and maintenance of the website, photography and  media outreach.

Oh, and one more important member of Lichty Guitars is our trusty shop dog, Ziggy. All together they make powerful team.

Jay Lichty has rapidly gone from being the new custom guitar builder on the block to being a highly regarded and sought after luthier building high-end heirloom quality custom guitars and ukuleles for a discerning international customer base.

I love every step of building an instrument, from choosing the best wood, to hand carving the inside bracing, to stringing them up. When I play those first few notes, or better yet, hear someone else play those first few notes and see the smile on his or her face, well now – that’s my favorite part!