If you love a good story, you’ll want to tune into this week’s podcast with luthier Wyatt Wilkie. Though he comes from a musical family, Wilkie is a completely self-taught instrument maker. He built his very first instrument, a mandocello, while working in New Mexico as a gravedigger. He then moved to a small town in Wales where he honed his craft and eventually found himself in Georgia apprenticing for archtop guitar icon Bob Benedetto. Wilkie is now nestled in the Comox Valley on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, where he divides his time between building mandolins and archtop guitars. Nearly all of his work is exquisite and custom… and no two guitars are alike.

Pictures below: A Wilkie 10-string mandolin; his band in Sumatra; and his new, 15″ La Petite Fleur archtop.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Dying Breed Music. Like our podcast? Subscribe via iTunes and don’t forget to leave us a review.