Bass Of Tomorrow
For luthier Pete Hilton, there is no creative boundary that can’t be redrawn. Hywel Davies chats to the man behind the craft
Planet Earth’s most forward-thinking bass-makers interviewed by Hywel Davies
Contemporary luthiery is as much an art form as the music which the instruments are crafted to make. Born and raised in Michigan, Pete Hilton is the founder of Hilton Guitars and a oneman bass-making machine who takes his craft to a whole new level of inventiveness. Creating instruments for which we’d happily re-mortgage our homes, his goal is simple: “To create musical instruments that you want to play – and not one that you have to play.”
Hilton’s passion for tonewoods is bottomless, and his knowledge of them goes way beyond any tentative understanding that us mere mortals may have achieved. Given that he was raised in a family of woodworkers, this comes as no surprise. “The first bass I built was definitely an eye-opener as far as seeing what kind of skill it took to build something from scratch,” he says. “I wasn’t really happy with the way it turned out, so it pushed me to build a second, and the second pushed me to make the third, and so on. I realised early that I would never be settled, which is still true to this day.”
What’s the most important thing that goes through Hilton’s mind when he enters his shop every morning, we ask? “I try to make a point of never building the same bass twice when it comes to the wood selection and pattern. I think of each instrument as a unique expression and a reflection of the client. I’m really interested in keeping the tradition of hand-crafting alive. It’s almost too easy nowadays to turn on YouTube and ‘learn’ how to do something. By doing it by hand the way I learned, you’re connected to the process so much more.”
Hilton’s real challenge is finding a direction he wants to explore, as he explains: “Aside from the wood, I’m inspired by challenging myself in terms of certain builds, bringing non-traditional worlds into my building process. Building
“I TRY TO MAKE A POINT OF NEVER BUILDING THE SAME BASS TWICE WHEN IT COMES TO THE WOOD SELECTION AND PATTERN”
a guitar out of skateboards was an example of this. At the end of the day, I’m always inspired by beautiful artistry, whether it is what I strive for in my own work or that of my close, talented friends.”
Inevitably, we’re moved to ask where all of this inventiveness come from. “Inspiration comes from everywhere,” explains Hilton. “Material-wise, I’m inspired to let the wood speak – beautiful grains, patterns in colours and tone, and even the history. For example, I built an instrument out of wood that was excavated from the bottom of Lake Superior in Michigan that is hundreds of years old, and this is one of the more meaningful instruments I own. Everything I get is locally resourced. I don’t import anything personally. As far as woods, I like to work with black walnut, mahogany, padauk, some burls, and ones with unique patterns. I like natural oil finishes as they bring out the depth of the wood patterns.”
All that remains is to ask what the future holds for Hilton Guitars. “I’m rebuilding my website and hoping to get that up as soon as possible,” Hilton tells us. “I’m in the process of working with GHS on custom strings. Design-wise, I’m exploring geometric designs for tops which have been really fun to create, and I’ll have a few of these instruments at Winter NAMM 2020.” See you there!