Kenny Hill @ GFA San Francisco

Tues., August 5 - Sun., August 10, 2008
San Francisco, California
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
and Veteran's War Memorial Building


For those of you unfamiliar with the GFA International Convention, if you are at all interested in classical guitar, you need to know about this. If you live in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, you need to attend. There will be many guitar builders showing their works, along with associated vendors, competitions, performances, lectures, masterclasses.... lots of activities.

We, of course, would like you to visit with Kenny and try our Standup and Standard Signature model[s]. Kenny will also have Torres 1856, Rodriguez and Hauser '37 available at the show.

From the GFA website:

The beautiful new facilities at the San Francisco Conservatory will be used for the competition and the evening concerts, and the elegant and classic San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, a few blocks away, will serve as the central location for most of the daytime activities. Both facilities are located within a few minutes walk from a variety of hotels, in the heart of beautiful downtown San Francisco.

Richard Patterson, Director of the highly successful Omni Concert Series, will serve as Convention Director and Co-Artistic Director. Renowned guitarist and Chair of the Conservatory Guitar Department, David Tanenbaum will serve as Co-Artistic Director with Mr. Patterson.

We are excited to welcome some new faces to the convention, wonderful artists who are not seen often in the US, some artists who you may not have heard of but whose music we are confident will move you, and artists who are seen frequently touring in and out of the US, including Dusan Bogdanovic, City of Sao Paulo String Quartet, Thibault Cauving, Zoran Dukic, José Antonio Escobar, Shin-Ichi Fukuda, Boris Gaquere, Antoine Garth, Viviana Guzman, Aaron Jay Kernis, Pablo Márquez, Duo Melis, Gyan Riley, Terry Riley, Hopkinson Smith, Raphaella Smits, Pavel Steidl, Anja Strauss, Axel Strauss, David Tanenbaum, Marc Teicholz, Aliéksey Vianna, Xuefei Yang, San Francisco Conservatory Guitar Ensemble.

Hill Guitar Sponsors William Kanengiser

We're pleased to sponsor

William Kanengiser in Concert
Monday July 7, 2008 at 7:00pm
Santa Clara Convention Center Theatre

Master Class : Monday, July 7, 2008 at 9:00am

Recognized as one of America’s most brilliant guitarists, William Kanengiser has developed a unique repertoire for his instrument, ranging from dazzling arrangements of Mozart, Handel, and Bartók to his innovative excursions into the music of Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. Praised by the Los Angeles Times for his “dizzying execution” and “exceeding vitality and warmth,” Mr. Kanengiser has performed in recital and as guest soloist with orchestras in virtually every major American city, ranging from New York City’s Carnegie Hall to San Francisco’s Herbst Theater, as well as throughout Canada, Europe, and Asia.

Concert: Monday, July 7, 2008 at 7:00pm | $20 General $15.00 to Festival Participants

This concert is suitable for children of age 6 and above. Daycare will be provided nearby for younger children during this concert for a modest fee.

Master Class Audit: Monday, July 7, 2008 at 9:00am to 12:00 | $45 Participant $15.00 to Festival Participants

This very special event is open to students, teachers and observers attending the Festival. If you wish to participate as a performer for this master class you can download an Information and Audition Form to learn how to seize this rare opportunity. Only Suzuki students may audition to perform at the master class. Space is limited to six performers.

Suzuki Guitar Festival Information Link

Bam Cases Now Available for Hill Guitars

We have just received new Bam Hightech Cases. These cases answer a frequently asked question, can we recommend any high quality travel cases? Bam cases.

These very light-weight cases are very strong and provide an excellent choice for those looking for a protective case to use for travel. The interior provides an excellent fit for our guitars.

We carry the Tweed and Brushed Chrome models presently.

At this time, these cases are not easy to acquire, and we are offering them to Hill Guitar owners only. Price is $800.

Information from the Bam website:

Using the experience gained from developing the cello cases,
we have conceived this case to be the lightest of the guitar cases, yet
without compromising protection. Looking very stylish, this case is
made of high performance composite materials. Thanks to its sandwich
structure, we obtain an excellent weight to rigidity ratio. The core of
this structure, called Airex, is a rigid cellular material, almost
indestructible, bringing high isothermic and mechanical characteristics.
Inside, the guitar is maintained in suspension. The neck is supported by
a cushion made of bam's injected foam. The case is equipped with
3 soft touch latches, a comfortable handle and a set of two anti-slip
neoprene backpack straps. A removable accessory pouch is located
under the neck.
Weight: 6.2 lbs

Technical information about case interior & exterior.

Hightech Acoustic Guitar case
Ref: 8003 XLC Carbon look
Ref: 8003 XLA Brushed Aluminum look

A Prodigal Guitar

Kay Ezkanazi's Hill Crossover guitar was stolen out of her car. Kay has played a Hill Guitar Crossover for a number of years. She is a well known performer in Northern California, an influential teacher and one of our very good customers. I got a call from her early one Monday to tell me that her guitar had been stolen out of her car, along with her laptop and a briefcase full of sheet music. This is terrible, and she left me the serial number, date etc., just in case someone were to contact us about it. I promised to at least mention it here on the blog — you never know. She was offering a reward for its return, no questions asked.

So, small world, when my right hand man Larry came in and I told him the story, and he said "Really? That's odd. Last week I was talking to to so and so at Fine Fretted Friends in Livermore about a completely unrelated French polish question, and while on the phone someone came into their store wanting to sell a Hill Crossover. Could this be a clue?"

Yes, it could. Most retailers have been in that situation, with a stranger trying to sell something well below it's value for cash, and Michael went ahead an purchased the guitar, knowing that either there was something fishy, or he was at least going getting a good deal. And, as crazy luck would have it, Michael got their drivers license, vehicle license and address. Then, when they cashed his check, they were even captured on the bank video system.

We were able to put Michael and Kay together, and sure enough it was her well loved guitar, they are working out a reunion. At this moment the police have custody of the guitar, but it should be eventually released to Kay. The cost of buying the guitar from the scoundrel SHOULD be picked up by the insurance company, in my humble opinion. I hope that's how it comes out. Regardless it's a small price to pay for the return of the guitar.

There's more. They identified the perps and were going to get them. Two guys, one on parole, an the other on a no-bail parole, meaning when they pick him up he's going back to the slammer, period. I mean, how dumb are these guys? It sounds like they wanted to go back to prison.

I worked for many years teaching guitar making in Soledad prison. I got to know a number of very serious offenders, and became close friends with some. I learned the humanity of many of these people, and understood something about how they got there. There was some crazy stuff, and eventually I started to see them as "Volunteers", felons who just keep doing bad stuff, way past the point of no return. Really, there's no explaining it.

Kenny Hill Plays San Francisco

Kenny Hill in concert
With Teja Gerken and Mokai

Wednesday, May 28, 7:00PM
Bazaar Cafe
5927 California Street, between 21st & 22nd Avenues
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 831-5620 e-mail:lmw@bazaarcafe.com

Teja Gerken invited Kenny to play at his monthly acoustic guitar showcase at San Francisco's Bazaar Café, which features both established and emerging players. The performance format is a unique "round robin" where the three players are all on stage for the whole show, each playing one or two pieces, then passing on to the next player, and on around. It's a fun way to listen, and should prove to be an interesting evening of diverse guitar playing.

Kenny will be performing on a guitar he made himself, his most current design Stand-up SIGNATURE model.

Music he will play might include some Scarlatti sonatas, music by James Kline, Andrew York, Barrios, Kottke, Albeniz or Hill.

Kenny has been a performing musician since childhood, playing guitar for over 40 years. His unique ability with the guitar as both an accomplished guitar maker and an accomplished guitar player brings a very personal relationship to the music and to the instrument, and his spin on repertoire for the classical guitar is diverse and refreshing.

You can check out and purchase his PILGRIMAGE CD of classical guitar music - international, mostly contemporary, all beautiful and distinctly personal.

About Teja Gerken:

Today, Teja is no stranger to those familiar with contemporary steel-string fingerstyle guitar. Weaving together influences of folk, jazz, classical, and world music into a style that is uniquely his own, Teja's playing reflects his diverse musical interests. While many of his composition employ alternate tunings, two-handed tapping, percussive effects, and other extended guitar techniques, others simply rely on his keen sense of melody and movement. Within this framework, Teja has created a repertoire that appeals to fellow guitarists as well as to listening audiences, and while original material is his main focus, he can also be found playing Irish traditionals, the occasional jazz standard, or improvising on themes by classical composers.

An active participant in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area acoustic music scene, Teja is a regular performer at many of the region's venues.

About Moki:

Putting a twist on traditional folk and folk blues styles, Mokai accompanies his soulful vocals with powerful grooves and smokin' blues riffs. His show-stopping set has earned him a reputation as a performer who delivers every time.

His propulsive, fingerstyle guitar drives Mokai’s music, colored by elements of jazz and world music. Playful, then moving, his compositions touch both on big themes and intricate details. The deep commitment in his lyrics reflects years on the front lines of seminal political and environmental movements. This is the same dedication he brings to his performances at benefits for non-profits and important causes, as well as in hospitals and shelters with the Bread and Roses series.

Rodriguez Model News

Here's a recent email we received from Rodriguez owner David Norton:

"A very well-known concert performer was in Salt Lake City this weekend for a recital and masterclass. I played in the class, and as I was setting up, he looked at my guitar and said "A Rodriguez. Nice." I played my selection; all went fine. At the end of the session, he asked "What year is your Rodriguez? It sounds wonderful." When I told him it was a Kenny Hill replica, and brand-new at that, he was astounded. "No way! Really? Wow. That's just amazing." He was 100% convinced it was a genuine Rodriguez."

Thanks for sharing, David.

Photo of David Norton's 2008 Rodriguez model. 640mm string length.

New 635mm Torres FE-18 Now Available

Here is the second of three of these small Torres models Kenny has built.

The FE-18 is smaller than our Torres 1856 model. This is an appropriate guitar for the smaller player looking for a high-quality instrument.

The guitar comes with a custom teardrop hard case, and is priced at $3700. [SOLD] Current 2011 price is $5700 w. case]

You can see more photos and information about the Torres FE18 model by clicking here.

This guitar is listed in our SHOWROOM, where you can view more detailed and larger photos of the guitar.

The third FE-18 string length is 615mm and will be available in May.

Please contact us for more information on this guitar.


Indian rosewood back and sides
European spruce top
Spanish cedar neck
ebony fingerboard
Gotoh machines
French polish finish
Lightweight truss rod


Overall length: ~36 3/4"
Body length: 17 3/8"
Lower bout: 11 5/8"
Upper bout: 8 5/8"
Body depth: 3 5/8 - 3 3/4"
String length: 635mm
Fingerboard width @ nut: ~50mm