Jeb proudly polishes his latest handcrafted guitar
I was born on Oahu in the state of Hawaii. My parents were papaya farmers and I was the youngest of four. We all learned at a very young age how to work hard. In 1987, my family moved to King William, VA where we started a beef cattle farm. I started playing guitar at age 19 and shortly after, I moved back to Hawaii.
When I first arrived in Hawaii, I met Noa Bonk, a master luthier who made guitars. I decided that I wanted to learn as well. Noa was very welcoming and happy to show his art and skills. Eventually I started working for him full-time, building acoustic and hollow body electric guitars, ukuleles and lap steels. There, at Koolau Guitar and Ukulele, I did repair work, wood milling and grading, sanding, instrument finishing, and setup. Noa was a perfectionist and demanded the same of me, which helped me become an exacting and careful builder. After work, I was allowed to hone my skills as a luthier, making my own instruments using many different woods and body shapes to learn about tone and response. Koolau sent me to their Chinese factory four times to do inspections, make jiggs, teach different ways to improve their product, and to be more efficient on their import line, “Pono.”
Jeb is also an avid musician
I gravitated toward bluegrass and classic country music because of the comradery and ease of playing music with others. I discovered a wonderful organization called Bluegrass Hawai‘i, and I am now serving in my second term as vice-president of this association. Through Bluegrass Hawai‘i, I met the members of my band, the North Shore Ramblers. I play guitar, mandolin, Dobro and sing vocals with the Ramblers.
In 2011, I formally launched Wiemer Guitars. I am proud to say that my instruments have become legendary in the Hawaii bluegrass community for their superior sound and beautiful exotic tone woods. It is my primary goal and greatest pleasure to build extraordinary instruments that will be cherished and enjoyed for generations.
Jeb Wiemer is a member of the Guild of American Luthiers and Bluegrass Hawaii
