“One of a kind” takes on a new meaning at Pimentel Guitars, Music & Entertainment. This guitar shop has been crafting world-renowned guitars and other string instruments by hand for 75 years.
Lorenzo Pimentel launched Pimentel Guitars in 1951 in Carlsbad, New Mexico. He had been crafting custom guitars for years, and decided he wanted to start a business sharing his passion with the world. The company moved to Albuquerque in 1963 and is now run by three of Lorenzo’s sons.
From left: Victor Manuel, Rick, and Arturo Roberto Pimentel
“Dad used to bring us when we were 6 years old to the shop,” said Victor Pimentel. “And of course, at that age, we didn't know anything. We were playing with the sawdust and the little pieces of wood that were left over. But that's how we started.”
As the brothers got older, they learned how to make guitars and began crafting guitars themselves and working at the shop.
“We kind of went in different directions,” said Rick Pimentel. “At first, we were all doing the same thing, the same style of guitars. Later on in life, we started saying, ‘Well, there's acoustic guitars, there's mandolins, there's ukuleles, there's all kinds of other instruments.’ So everybody started specializing.”
The Pimentel brothers create one-of-a-kind stringed instruments ranging from classical and acoustic guitars to mandolins and ukuleles. Part of what makes a Pimentel instrument so special is the inlay work. Because everything is hand-crafted, the Pimentels can create a wide variety of designs using materials such as coral, abalone, ebony and turquoise. A design that is unique to the Pimentels is the Santuario rosette, named in honor of El Santuario de Chimayo, a church in northern New Mexico where the faithful believe the dirt has healing properties.
A close-up of the Santuario rosettes
“The reason we designed [the Santuario rosette] is because my father was going over there for prayer,” Rick said. “He was passing away with cancer. So he went over there for prayer, and came back with an inspiration to create this design.”
Additionally, the Pimentels age their wood, which is unusual in modern guitar-making. The dry New Mexico climate is perfect for aging woods. Some are aged for 15 years to create the right material to shape a guitar.
“The air that goes right through it just ages the wood beautifully,” said Rick. “So when you cut into the wood, it just comes out so beautiful, and you tap on it, and the tone is incredible when it's aged that way.”
The guitars are also made with extreme mathematical precision. Sometimes, the scale lengths are adjusted to best fit the person who will be using the guitar. In addition, the Pimentels can create modifications that help people with arthritis or other problems in their hands that could impede playing the instrument.
Arturo Roberto Pimentel
All of this craftsmanship is done by hand. When ordering a guitar, the customer can specify how they want it decorated, and those decorations are created by hand.
“We are completely handmade, and I think we're about the only company left in the world that's still completely handmade,” said Victor. “There are some companies out there that say they're handmade, but they buy this, they buy that, and put them together. But we do everything ourselves. I believe that we make one of the best guitars in the world, and fix all the rest.”
Rick Pimentel
Each instrument is built for a specific customer. According to Rick, one of the most memorable guitars he made was for a man whose wife had passed away. He used some of her jewelry to create the inlay designs.
“Her hair was blonde and sort of wavy,” Rick said. “So I used some myrtle wood that had a wavy look, and it looked like her hair. I created that guitar according to what he really wanted to depict his wife. And he plays it every single day.”
Pimentel guitars have been played by some of the greats, including Tony Joe White and Esteban. New Mexico even has an official state guitar crafted by Pimentel called the New Mexico Sunrise guitar. You can see some of these beautiful creations and learn more about the process of making a guitar in person by visiting their shop. Call ahead to schedule a tour of their workspace.
