"In an age of mass-produced everything, it’s nice to know there’s still someone focused on individual craftsmanship. Bottom line: If you can dream it, Hemphill can build it. I couldn’t have been happier with the attention to detail, and going above and beyond to create something that didn’t exist in the marketplace."

Where do I begin. Joe built me a custom Esquire guitar. My whole experience with working with Joe has been incredible. I'll start by saying this is my first custom guitar. I’ve spoken with other custom dealers and they seemed to only be ready to work with me when I knew exactly what I wanted. Joe took the time to let me describe what I was looking for, and when I wasn’t sure about certain specs, he took the time to describe what it was and how it worked. He didn’t try to force anything on me, he let me pick and choose what I wanted. Once he began building my guitar, he would update me on the progress. He sent me pictures so I could see the guitar coming to life, step by step. If I had a question for him, he always got back to me asap. He sent me the final picture before I picked it up, and just looks alone it’s a beautiful guitar. But the real magic happened when I first held it and had a chance to sit down and play it. Before I ever plugged it in, I could tell it was special. The sound, the feel.....it almost plays itself. It’s truly incredible. Then I plugged it into my deluxe reverb and it sounded like heaven. It’s truly amazing. I’ve never played an electric guitar in my life that plays and feels as good as this guitar. I’m so happy with my experience working with Joe. It was a chance meeting, how we met but I could tell instantly that he was passionate about his work, and his knowledge was incredible. I highly recommend working with Joe. He’s truly an artist, and I truly hope to work with him again in the future!

"I got my Hemphill tele three weeks ago and the only complaint I have is that I can’t put the thing down. The workmanship is simply first class—immaculate. You can really tell when a luthier has poured their heart and soul into what they’ve made: hold it in your hands and you can sense that it’s more than just the sum of its parts. That said, the true, bottom line test of the quality of a guitar is the degree to which you as a player, feel compelled to play it. I’m a semi-professional player who plays out and practices a lot, but I’ve played more guitar in these last three weeks than I have in years... So I’ll just say it straight up, Joe: Thank You!"

Hey, man, you do GREAT work! I love love LOVE the guitar! It has a completely different feel and tone than my Fender or Gibson. Super clean, surprisingly low hum and a sustain that just won’t quit! Thank you!