Xotic Guitar builder "Hiro Miura" interview (3/5)

PCI: So you were responsible for the revival of Turner Guitar?
Hiro: Yes. He knew everybody in the industry. He introduced me to many people, including Tom Holmes, acoustic guitar maker Don Musser and Roy Nobles. I was able to broaden my network, and my business multiplied. I was also introduced to Klein Guitar, and I started making trips to San Francisco, where I met many acoustic and archtop guitar builders.

PCI: How did you meet all the custom guitar builders like Don Grosch, James Tyler, John Suhr and Tom Anderson?
Hiro: I got to know these guys over the past seven years or so. They valued me because I was able to get them pick-guard materials from Japan. Guitar builders in the US were actually very curious about Japan. They always asked me about Japan. They brought Japanese magazines and pestered me with questions like, "What does this say?" (lol)

PCI: Who stood out the most amongst all the builders you've met so far?
Hiro: They've all left quite an impression on me. I have visited guitar factories in Japan, but I was very surprised to see how different it was here. There are many shops like Michael Stevens and Somogyi that are operated by one person. They all use their unique tools and jigs to build their guitars. They do everything by themselves. In Japan, most shops just put together bodies and necks made in the factory.

Acoustic guitar master Somogyi, who makes everything himself: an ultimate commitment

PCI: Perhaps, shops in Japan do not have as much originality as they do in the US.
Hiro: I think that's true. It's not that having the body and neck made by the factory is bad. I was simply shocked when I first saw how they purchase raw wood, shave it and finish everything by themselves here. And they also spend so much time and attention on the smallest details. It's not rare that they only make 10 or so guitars a year. And of course it's because of how much work they put into one guitar.

PCI: I guess that's what is so great about the US, that you can make a living doing that.
Hiro: I agree. In the beginning, I was very shocked. Mr. Turner was always full of new ideas. Michael Stevens was the first head of Fender's custom shop, and any guitars finished by him were just something else. I was also very impressed with Tom Holmes, the way he never budged about any small details when it came to the pickups.

PCI: You've been friends with Tom Holmes for some time.

Hiro: I've known him since 1991. Mr. Turner introduced us. I have been to Tom's shop several times, and he also does everything by himself. What amazed me the most was how he made his own pickup covers. Usually, since they need to be pressed, you would order them from an outside supplier. He actually owned an old Gibson press machine (or supposedly a Gibson), and he would press and polish them. He said he used to order the plating, but since he was never satisfied with the finish, he ended up purchasing his own machine, and now he does the plating himself.

PCI: When I met him last year, he mentioned how he wasn’t happy with any screws in the market. He said he was going to start making them himself.
Hiro: He was saying, "My screws are the best in the world!" (lol)

His passion for the brand Xotic

PCI: I understand that the Xotic Bass was born from the influences of all the wonderful builders in the US. What was your main focus when building your first Xotic Bass?
Hiro: Custom basses were very popular at that time. 80% of custom basses had Bartolini pickups, and the rest were EMG. The active bass was very popular. Popular makers were Sadowsly, Fodera, Tobias and Tang. It was 1996. SWR amplifiers were very popular. I was concerned with how to give Xotic Bass characteristics like no other in that market.