Harry Fleishman
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Harry Fleishman is a luthier who has been building custom guitars since 1969. In his Sebastopol, California shop he builds about a dozen guitars and acoustic basses each year, plus innovative electric basses. He also teaches guitar design and building in small class settings at his school, Luthiers School International. Harry is the former director of the American School of Lutherie, in Healdsburg, Ca. Harry writes often about guitar-related topics for Acoustic Guitar, and American Lutherie, among others. In addition to designing guitars for other companies, most notably Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, he designs tools for the lutherie community. As an active member of the Guild of American Luthiers, Harry has lectured on acoustic guitar amplification and chaired a panel on unconventional acoustic guitar design. He continues his research and experiments in asymmetric design, multi-soundport and multi-tonewood instruments, as well as Electric Upright Basses and ultra-light electric guitars and basses.
In the late 1960s, Harry was a member of the band, the Mugwumps, and had a minor hit record of John Sebastian's "Jug Band Music." He later worked as a songwriter for Criterion Music Company, Inc. After an altercation with producer Don Droughty, Harry was fired and replaced by Jackson Browne. A few more details: Jerry Cook, the R&B singer from Austin, Texax, was in Los Angeles recording a song of Harry's with Harry on guitar and bass, Jean-Paul Setlak on guitar, Bill Braun on Drums, and Vince Melamed on Organ. Jerry was very uncomfortable with so many people around as he did his vocals. Droughty kept goading him about takes and Harry finally told him to leave the studio, since it was clear that he was not helping to get the vocals down. The next day, Harry was fired.
People always ask "who have you built for?" and "does anyone famous play your guitars?" Harry is most proud of two artists using his basses. George Holmes of the famous Ink Spots, the proto-Doo Wop group that had so many hits particularly in the forties, has been playing two Fleishman Basic IV basses, the headless, bodiless minimal bass that Musician Magazine credits as pioneering headless basses. Dave Pomeroy, the Nashville studio and performing bassist, has been recording and performing on a Fleishman Electric Upright for over 20 years. This bass is famous in Nashville.
A little known fact: Harry was one of the Revell Model Car Contest winners in 1963.
Harry is a graduate of the Peter Pan nursery school and has a Masters degree in Applied Language.
