Long before I started writing for bike magazines I wrote opera and ballet reviews and for a while wrote for a well known music magazine. One of the people whom I got to know is Michael DeTemple. To say that Michael makes a nice guitar is like saying Eddy Merckx was pretty good at riding a bike.
Michael has made guitars for some of the biggest names in music and like some small custom frame shops Michael only makes a limited number of instruments a year so to see one in person is rare and it's rarer still to actually hold and play one. Several years ago Michael lent me his personal guitar to review for a magazine and the experience was unforgettable. It's very difficult to really say what was so different about his hand made guitar vs a very good mass produced guitar but I'll try.
The guitar Michael lent me was vibrant, almost like holding a living thing, everything about it radiated passion and attention to detail. Michael will probably kill me when I say that he told me that there was a minor flaw of the guitar where the neck joined the body but I scanned that area for quite some time and I'll be danged if I could find what he was talking about. Notes lifted off the guitar, the action was super smooth and it darn near played itself. I don't think I'll ever forget the experience.
I once owned a frame built by a small builder that had a fairly glaring flaw on it. I doubt any one else knew it was there but me. Granted, it didn't detract from the ride at all but was a bit like seeing a booger hanging from the nose of the Mona Lisa. Despite the flaw I loved that bike and it was my main ride for several years.
Yesterday I checked my phone messages and there were several messages from my wife adding items to my "honey do" list and another messages that started with an area code I didn't recognize. I played the message and it was Michael's jovial and distinctive voice. We hadn't spoken for several years so I was excited to hear from him again.
Michael had phoned me to ask about what I would recommend for some flat resistant tires so I gave him a short list to what to look for. We caught up for a while and he told me about some challenges his shop was going through and he told me about the success his son's and daughter band, Old Man Markley was having. While Michael may never blast his way down a wicked steep singletrack or power his way up Mont Ventoux he still enjoys the freedom of pedaling his bike just as much as the next person and that makes him a biker in my book.
Love, commitment, care, Michael is an artist of the highest caliber. If I had the money I'd buy one of his guitars in a heartbeat and not regret it. Like buying a frame from a small builder people wonder if it's worth the added money and long lead time it takes to buy a DeTemple guitar and I say yes. Once a small builder like Michael DeTemple is gone there's no replacing him. No how, no way. Same with a Steve Potts or a Bruce Gordon, they are irreplaceable. Bikes built in Dickensian factories from the Far East or guitars puked out of CNC machines are perfectly fine for the most part - but they are not art, they are simply commodities and are no different than widgets on ledger.
DeTemple Guitars
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