Interview with Kenny Hill

By
Dedrick Koh
– November 8, 2011Posted in: classical guitar, classical guitar products

The name “Kenny Hill” has become of the most prestigious and exciting names to emerge from North America. Kenny Hill first started making guitars in the 1970s, and since then, a venerable who’s who of classical guitarists have played or owned his instruments.

This includes Kazuhito Yamashita. Stanley Yates, Scott Tenant and Almer Imamovic (AlmaNova) to name a few.

Locally, Zul Kifly (Classical Guitar Teacher and performer/Cristofori Music School/Finalist int the International Guitar Competition Singapore 2010/Kenny Hill Master Series Torres) and Andrew Wee (Suzuki Guitar Instructor/Member of Guitar Synergy/Kenny Hill Rodriguez Model) are some of the personalities who own Hill Guitars.

Mr Hill also confirmed that GFA 2010 Winner and  International Guitar Competition Singapore 2011 champion  Mu Huai Cong also plays a Hill Guitar.

“He won the GFA in 2010 on a borrowed Hill Signature, then I sold him a Signature last October. He is playing that in his photo. He’s a great guitarist and a fine young man,” Mr Hill said.

The Hill Guitar Company has arguably established itself as the most prestigious classical guitar workshop in the world, and the most prominent to have come out of North America.

But popularity has its pitfalls, and in recent years, there have been a spate of counterfeit Kenny Hill Guitars in the Singaporean market.

In this interview I ask Kenny Hill about his presence in Singapore and discover what he’s been up to.

Master Luthier Kenny Hill working on the soundboard of a guitar.

1. Does the Hill Guitar Company have an official distributor in Singapore?
— No.

2. Is Maestro Guitars an official distributor for Kenny Hill guitars?
— No. They have never purchased anything from me that I recall.

3. There was previously a discussion about the authenticity of Kenny Hill guitars being sold in the Maestro Guitar shop in the S.O.F.T Forum ( a forum sponsored by Maestro Guitars).  That thread has been deleted and all that remains is this thread on the Acoustic Guitar Forum. Can you tell us more about what happened in that thread and your involvement?
— I looked back at the thread. I think it was as I described in a posting, that is, a former Chinese collaborator decided to produce some instruments and label them as mine. If I recall, it wasn’t my label reproduced, but used my name without my permission or involvement. I haven’t heard anything about this is a while, so I assumed it died down. In my experience, usually when someone does something unethical like this they eventually lose face, and lose money or go out of business.
It always surprises me when people spend so much time on newsgroups getting speculation or misinformation, rather than just contacting me directly. I’m not that hard to find.
4. Hozen from Maestro Guitars claims to have made contacts with you. What has been you depth of engagement with him?

The rosette of a Kenny Hill Signature Series guitar.him? Did you mentor or guide him in any construction matters?

— I know Hozen from trade shows in Shanghai and Frankfurt. I only know him to say hello, etc. I see he has my picture on his web site, but that was probably just taken at his booth. I’ve never been to his workshop or collaborated in any way.
5. Any plans to have a official distributor in Singapore ?
— I would be happy to establish a distributor in Singapore, but so far the people I have met have not done anything. I guess I’m waiting for the right person to come along.
6. Where can guitarists in Singapore purchase your instruments from (would it be better to purchase directly from you, or from another authorized distributor in South East Asia)?
 — They can be purchased directly from me in California, or from my distributor in China, Li Xiaokai. He is a wonderful man and very fair to do business with.
(Editor’s note: Mr Hill informed me that Li Xiaokai can be e-mailed at lxk-0001@163.com. His English name is “Manny”. He is able to speak English and Mandarin).
7. Any plans to visit Singapore? Will you be a exhibitor at the Singapore Guitar Show 2011?
— I would love to visit Singapore some time, especially if I were selling guitars there. I don’t have plans to go to the show. My travel schedule is very full, and adding another international trip is probably too much at this point.
Currently my activities are this:
I have a small workshop in California with about 8 people and myself. We are making mostly double top Performance and Signature Series Hill guitars. They sell retail in the US for $5,000.00 to $10,000.00. These are my own designs and are very successful in US, in Europe, in Japan and in China.

The front of a Kenny Hill Signature Series guitar.

I am also a parter in Minyard Martinez in Guangzhou. My partners are Alex Wang from China and Wolfgang Jellinghaus from Germany. We established this company about 6 years ago, and it is doing very well.

(Editor’s note: I have tried Martinez guitars and they are very good and competitively priced. They are available from Yudi Kwok at Luthier Guitar Center.)

I am also design consultant with the Cordoba Music Group in Santa Monica California. I have worked with them for several years developing a variety of Cordoba Guitars. These are also doing extremely well worldwide.
I feel very fortunate to be involved in such a beautiful art and industry. It has been profoundly satisfying to develop friendships and business relationships around the world, and do fine work with fine people. As a guitar maker and as a musician I am proud of the work we are doing to help bring music into the lives of people everywhere.
I want to thank Mr Hill for his time and for clarifying his presence in Singapore. If you would like more information about Kenny Hill Guitars you can e-mail him at khill@hillguitar.com.
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About Dedrick Koh

Dedrick Koh is a Social Media and Communications Specialist at Nanyang Polytechnic. He has a Bachelors (Murdoch) and Diploma (Ngee Ann Polytechnic) in Mass Communication. Dedrick is a communications professional and a highly skilled classical guitarist. As a communications professional, he has worked on brands like Coca Cola, DHL, Nokia, Nestle, the Health Promotion Board, the Economic Development Board of Singapore and the President Challenge. He gave private classical guitar during his polytechnic and undergraduate studies to put himself through school. He has succesfully prepared students for ABRSM and Trinity exams and was previously an instructor cum assistant conductor at Ngee Ann Polytechnic Strings under Alex Abisheganaden .