06/24/2026
What happens when a 13-year-old picks up a guitar in church and decides — years later — that no guitar on the market is perfect for him? Joshua built one himself.
In this video, we sit down with luthier Joshua Young, a custom acoustic guitar builder who went from buying and selling over 100 guitars before age 18, to learning from some of the world's best builders, to crafting instruments entirely on his own terms — guitars he's proud to put his name on.
Joshua studied guitars built by legendary luthiers like Wayne Henderson, John Arnold, and Bob Altman, learning what makes each instrument truly unique. He sourced rare tonewoods like African blackwood and ancient Sitka spruce, obsessed over neck profiles, and approached every build with one simple standard: would he want to buy it back?
Joshua has received praise from guitar greats like Brad Paisley, Billy Strings, Vince Gill, Shawn Brock, Wayne Henderson, John Arnold, Eric Wiggs, Redd Volkaert, Tommy Emmanuel and more. Now, with a new dedicated workshop in the works, Joshua is just getting started. Whether you're a guitar player, a woodworking enthusiast, or someone who loves a great origin story — this one's for you.
Topics covered: How Joshua started playing guitar at age 13 Buying & selling 100+ guitars as a teenager
Why he decided to build his own custom acoustic guitar Learning from world-class luthiers (Wayne Henderson, John Arnold, Bob Altman)
Tonewoods: African blackwood & ancient Sitka spruce What makes a truly custom guitar different
His vision for a new guitar-building workshop
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