Mike Lipe was a master guitar

luthier A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Etymology The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...

known for his custom electric guitar company, Lipe Guitars U.S.A, based in Los Angeles, California. During a career spanning more than thirty-five years, he constructed guitars for many notable performers, including

Brian May Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...

Steve Vai Steven Siro Vai ( ; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a Transcription (music), transc ...

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...

Michael Angelo Batio Michael Angelo Batio ( ; born June 12, 1956), also known as Michael Angelo, Mike Batio or MAB, is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal guitarist. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band Nitro (band), Nitro in the late 1980s and ...

,Mab Guitar Collection
and

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

. Mike Lipe began building guitars in the mid-1970s while working at Killeen Music, a music store in

Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...

, California. Eight years later, Lipe left to work for guitar manufacturer Mighty Mite. In 1983, he started his own business and became L.A.'s original Guitar Doctor. After six years of building and customizing guitars for some of the most respected musicians in Los Angeles, Lipe's business was purchased by

Ibanez is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki was one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United Stat ...

in 1989. While with Ibanez, Lipe was chosen among many other expert luthiers to create a custom guitar shop on the West Coast of the United States, for which he was the master builder of electric guitars for several prominent guitarists such as

and

. After leaving Ibanez, Mike began working for

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: People * Torakusu Yamaha, a Japanese businessman and founder of the Yamaha Corporation Companies * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese musical instrument and audio equipment manufacturer ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organi ...

, where he stayed for two years. Over the next several years, Lipe worked for several prominent guitar manufacturers including Hofner and Fender. During this time, Lipe created and customized guitars for various internationally renowned electric guitarists and bassists.

Lipe Guitars

Mike Lipe was the Owner and Master Luthier of "Lipe Guitars USA" – founded in 2000. Located in Los Angeles County, California.

References

External links

Mike Lipe Interview – NAMM Oral History Library (2016)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lipe, Mike Living people American luthiers Businesspeople from Los Angeles 1948 births