Hinde Mandolins
Made To Be Played
A Christmas gift led Steve Hinde to build his first guitar. He received a Martin D-18 kit with an Adirondack top and, naturally, Hinde modified the guitar with what he calls the full “Tony treatment”: forward shifted scalloped braces, large sound hole, an ebony fingerboard with no dots, ebony long slot bridge, bone nut and saddle, and spray can lacquer. When finished, the D-18 kit sounded better than the other good guitars that Steve owned, so he sold a couple of guitars out of his collection and bought wood and tools to build more. That was the start. Now, decades later, Steve is a master craftsman admired across the bluegrass community. He builds an impressive range of instruments, including acoustic and electric mandolins, mandolas, octave mandolins, acoustic and electric guitars, resonator guitars, violins, ukuleles, and electric bass guitars. Guided by his motto, “made to be played,” each instrument is designed and built with the musician foremost in mind, offering low action, effortless playability, and lasting durability. Crafted with premium materials such as stainless steel and EVO fret wire and built to exacting standards, these instruments are for the long haul. In a genre where tone, responsiveness, and nuance matter most, his work delivers.
An active member of the bluegrass community for decades, Steve has been a concert-goer, jammer, and band member. While living in the Dallas, Texas area in the 1980s and 90s, Hinde saw a few shows and caught the bluegrass bug: “I can’t remember exactly who we saw on Austin City Limits, Alison or Tony or Newgrass Revival, but that is what started the bug for me.” He started playing again, inspired by the picking of players like Tony, Norman, and Doc. “My wife, Missy, can tell you about hearing the same tune over and over, learning how to flatpick.”
He met a lot of great pickers at The Southwest Bluegrass Club in Grapevine, Texas, and Picking on the Square in Garland, Texas. He also played in a band with Jim Paul Miller for a season. After relocating to Calico Rock, Arkansas, he had the opportunity to play occasionally in Mt. View at the Folk Center.
From the earliest stages of a commission, Steve works closely with musicians to define the sound, look, and feel of the instrument they want. It’s one thing to talk about an extraordinary instrument. It’s another thing to build one.
Every instrument is designed with intention. Wood selections are carefully chosen based on target tonal qualities discussed during the initial consultation, while specific wood sets, hardware finishes, instrument colors, inlays, and other functional details are tailored to the player’s preferences. Once the specs are finalized, he provides a quote, the deposit is received, and the build begins. Steve provides an estimated delivery date and covers shipping within the continental United States.
Hinde strives for “perfection for fit and finish” and believes high-quality instruments are made by hand. He uses very few machines throughout the build and is always working to refine the process and final product. “I flex and tap every top and back, to get a feel for the response and musical qualities. I constantly look for improvements in volume, sustain, projection, and tone. I adjust arching, thicknesses, gradations and bracing to get the best the materials can provide.”
Having visited Steve’s workshop several times, I have always been impressed by how clean and organized it is. He said, “I try to build efficiently. Generally, I do one process per day, bending sides, curving tops and braces, making fingerboards, or doing inlays all day. I build in batches.” He generally builds one batch of guitars and two or three mandolin batches every year. To date, Hinde has built around 200 total instruments—around 100 F mandolins, about 40 A model mandolins, and approximately 25 acoustic guitars. “I do repair work on weekends and normal production during the week.”
Following the first guitar, he took a similar path to building mandolins. Dissatisfied with his own instrument, he visited John Griffin at Old Standard Wood in Fulton, Missouri, and left with five mandolin sets. John provided some invaluable insight into the woods. He was lucky enough to meet Steven Gilchrist, who was building there at the time. Hinde’s other credited resources include the Mandolin Cafe, the Stewmac Macrostie mandolin construction book, Siminoff Books, and 15-or-so visits to Martin Guitars, as well as some ‘instructive’ mistakes. Over the years, Steve has grown into a remarkable luthier thanks to a community of builders, fellow musicians, and the school of hard knocks.
The rewards of the profession are not without challenge. Hinde Custom Instruments is working to grow a positive reputation in a saturated industry of builders that includes big companies and a plethora of individual, part-time, and import builders. High costs, competition, and the many logistics of owning a business complicate the process. “I doubt I could make it, only building one kind of instrument. I quit the day job over five years ago now and am doing this full time. So juggling supply chain, cash flow, sales, production, and managing the business is a lot. My wife, Missy, does the bookkeeping, thankfully.”
Hinde makes a heritage-model F mandolin and standard A model mandolin targeted for retail. Everything else is custom. “I don’t have as many out in retail as I would like. You have to get instruments out for people to try in order to increase business.” Custom work includes an incredible array of options for the musician: base to full trim, lots of different woods, colors, finishes, hardware, and electronics.
Many Hinde instruments are in active use by players. Some proud players and endorsers include: Wayne Benson (emando, lllrd Tyme Out, and Benson), Henry Burgess (mandolin, Rick Faris Band), Stephen Burwell (violin, Authentic Unlimited), Nick Dumas (mandolin, Nick Dumas and Branchline), Hana Dumas (violin, Branchline), Rick Faris (mandolin, Rick Faris Band), Eddie Faris (mandolin and archtop, formerly with Ricky Skaggs), Dalton Harper (guitar, Dalton Harper Music), Grace Vant Hoff (baritone ukulele, Chris Jones and the Night Drivers) William Lawson (guitar, William Lawson Band), Chris Luquette (mandolin, formerly with Frank Sullivan and Dirty Kitchen) Junior Sisk (guitar, Junior Sisk Band), Jacob Underwood (mandolin, Bluegrass Express), Darrell Webb (mandolin, Appalachian Road Show), and Keith Yoder (guitar, mandolin, Yoder Music).
Hinde stands behind his work. Each commission includes an approval period, with a refund or replacement build if expectations aren’t met. Hinde earns trust through experience and accountability—and through quality instruments built to serve musicians for a lifetime.
It’s when a Hinde instrument is finished and in a player’s hands that it really comes to life. Up and down the neck, every note rings true. You’ll feel a solid build, an instrument that acts as an extension of the player; you’ll hear balanced and consistent tone; you’ll see beautiful materials and careful craftsmanship. They look great. They sound great. They were made to be in the hands of musicians. And for Hinde, the best part is, “Someone enjoying one of my instruments. Hearing one on the radio or on a recording. It was a real thrill to see one on American Idol recently. Very humbling to me.”
Nick Dumas says, “I first heard of Hinde Custom Instruments when I met Rick Faris, shortly before I joined Special Consensus back in late 2015. Rick was playing a Hinde mandolin in the band at the time before I joined, and he moved over to guitar. I’d met Steve Hinde for the first time not long after my first gig with the band. Fast forward to the Summer of 2016, I saw Steve at the Stratford, Iowa, Bluegrass Festival, and he had some freshly strung up mandolins in the white with no finish on them yet for me to try. I was blown away by how incredible they sounded and played for being so new. But there was one in the batch that I knew I had to have. That mandolin sold me on Hinde instruments for life! Steve endorsed me as one of his artists when that mandolin was completed, and since then, I now have two more mandolins, two electric mandolins, a guitar, and a fiddle added to the roster. I’m so thankful for Steve and Missy for supporting my career!”
Kaitlyn Briggs is a great young player in Iowa. She says, “I love my Hinde mandolin! It is my favorite mandolin that I’ve played. I got mine in 2017 when I was 13 years old, and I knew from the first time I played it that I wanted to own it. It was the first high-quality instrument that I owned, and it encouraged me to play. I love the color, and I continuously get compliments on both the color and the sound of the mandolin, too.”
If you would like to join the growing list of proud Hinde owners, you can find instruments at Down Home Guitars, The Acoustic Shoppe, Banjo Ben’s General Store, Carter Vintage Guitars, or by contacting Steve directly at hindecustominstruments.com.
Hinde Custom Instruments are “made to be played,” and Steve continues to build some of the finest new instruments catering to discerning players of all levels.
