🎸 What if a guitar could tell the story of New York City?

In this episode of The Good Hustle, John Henry visits the iconic Carmine Street Guitars in NYC’s West Village, where Rick Kelly and Cindy Hulej build world-renowned guitars by hand — no CNC machines, no computers, just raw talent, reclaimed wood, and stories that stretch back over a century.

Rick has been in the game since the 1960s and opened this shop over 45 years ago. Cindy’s been crafting custom guitars for over a decade and just passed her 100th build. Together, they’ve created instruments out of benches from John’s Pizza on Bleecker, wood from the legendary Chelsea Hotel, and beams pulled from the Bowery’s old Suicide Hall — once a Civil War refuge, then a brothel, and now part of musical history.

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🎙️ You'll hear about:

✔️ Their one-of-a-kind process using NYC’s oldest wood 🎸
✔️ The real story behind their infamous “pizza guitar” 🔥
✔️ Building guitars from scratch, shellac by shellac 🪵
✔️ Why reclaimed pine from 1800s buildings makes unmatched soundboards 🏙️
✔️ How a 90-minute documentary, a James Taylor video, and a Viagra commercial made this shop world famous 🎥

Whether you’re into music, craftsmanship, or hidden gems of New York — this episode will move you, inspire you, and make you want to create something with your hands.

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🎙️ Featured Guests:
✔️ Rick Kelly – Founder, Carmine Street Guitars
✔️ Cindy Hulej – Custom Guitar Maker & Wood Burner

🛠️ Real people, real craft, real hustle.

📍 Learn more: CarmineStreetGuitars.com
📍 Visit them in NYC’s West Village

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👕 Support the Podcast—Grab Some Merch! ➝ Link

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