Twenty-five-year Guild member Steve Klein might have been running a ski shop today, if not for a meeting with Dr. Michael Kasha arranged by Steve’s famous scientist grandfather, Joel Hildebrand. Maybe you have heard this famous quote from Dr. Hildebrand: “Very few people do anything creative after the age of thirty-five. The reason is that very few people do anything creative before the age of thirty-five.”
▪ bio current as of 2003
2023
AL#148 p.16
Paul Schmidt Steve Klein
▪ Steve Klein started his lutherie endeavors fifty-five years ago as a teenager in his parents house. Today hes collaborating with Steve Kauffman on dazzlingly decorative acoustic guitars, and continuing to make innovative ergonomic solidbodies in his own shop. Mentions Fibonacci, Carl Margolis, Frank Pollaro, Leonardo DaVinci Steve Kauffman, Larry Robinson, Bob Hergert, Joe Walsh.
2022
AL#147 p.68
Steve Klein
▪ The GAL remembers an early supporter and author, who was also an influencial innovator of electric guitars. Plus he was a super-nice guy and mentor.
2003
AL#76 p.8 BRB7 p.110
Steve Klein
▪ Klein delivers a lecture that asks as many questions as it attempt to answer. Why has guitar design seemed to stall when so many other fields are jumping into the future? What do musicians really want? How can we make musicians want what we want to build? Is there any more to improve on the steel string guitar? A thought-provoking piece, indeed. With 13 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2000
AL#61 p.64
Steve Klein
▪ The advantage of having a zero fret at the top like on the Klein and Selmer guitars instead of a regular nut.
1993
AL#34 p.30 BRB3 p.340
Steve Klein
▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.
1987
AL#11 p.8 BRB1 p.416
Steve Klein
▪ Klein’s lecture outlines his aesthetic concerns about the contemporary steel string guitar, and many of the details of his ever-evolving, iconoclastic instruments. With several nice drawings and 2 photos. Mentions Richard Schneider and Michael Kasha.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1987
AL#11 p.8
Steve Klein
▪ The following four articles demonstrate how innovation and individual flair can lead to instruments that don’t resemble the rest of the pack.
1982
GALQ Vol.10#2 p.12 LW p.74
Steve Klein
▪ This is a history of Klein’s unusual steel string guitars, as well as a window into the mind of one of lutherie’s most creative thinkers. Includes 5 photos as well as a plan of the top of the guitar Klein built for Joe Walsh.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1981
GALQ Vol.9#4 p.10 BRB1 p.48 read this article
R.E. Brune George Gruhn Steve Klein Max Krimmel Robert Lundberg
▪ The economic atmosphere surrounding lutherie has changed a lot since this 1980 panel discussion, but tapping into the lutherie boom is no easier than it ever was. Max Krimmel followed his genius out of guitarmaking many years ago, but the rest of these gentlemen are still active, and their longevity suggests that they knew what they were talking about so long ago. Panel discussions aren’t often as much fun as this one.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.