Gibson's Former Master Luthier "Ren Ferguson" and
A History and Showcase of the J-200 Guitar

The story of how we met is actually quite simple. It all started when Ren’s son happened to come across an article we had written previously and sent us a message. (100th Anniversary Custom SJ-200)
When we spoke with him, he told us that he had since left the company and was now dedicated to crafting acoustic guitars under his own brand.
It didn’t take long for us—who had long been captivated by his work—and Ren’s family to connect on a deep level.Ren continues to hold a deep affection for the instruments he has crafted, the colleagues he’s worked alongside, the state of Montana, and, above all, his family. He also remembered the history of his own journey with such vivid clarity, as if it were yesterday.
So, wondering if there was anything we could do to help, we decided to write an article about his journey so far and what lies ahead.

The History of Ren Ferguson

-1946
Born in Detroit, Michigan
-1961
Like many others, Len began playing guitar with his older brother and friends.
-1962
During high school, Len was deeply fascinated by F-style mandolins and ornately carved banjos, so he decided to build a “bluegrass banjo” for his younger brother in the school’s woodshop.
Around that time, he began working at “Westchester Music” near Los Angeles International Airport. Many instruments damaged during air transport were brought there for repair estimates. Ren was allowed to purchase some of these damaged instruments, and this marked the beginning of his career as a repair technician.
- Circa 1965–1967
While working as a West Coast sales representative for Dobro Guitars (Original Musical Instrument Company, OMI), he also crafted custom inlays.
- 1967–1969
Ren enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to a repair ship anchored in Yokosuka, Japan.
There, he mastered advanced machining techniques.
-1969
After being discharged from the military, he joined Westwood Music in Los Angeles, where he worked in sales and repairs.
-1970
In Santa Monica, California, he launched a stringed instrument repair business with Rob Erlas.
Ren moved to Venice Beach, California, and began making banjos. He also established a small guitar workshop called the “Ren Ferguson Company” with several apprentices.
-1976
The company closed its workshop, and he moved to Colorado.
-1979
Ren moved to Big Timber, Montana, with his wife, Lenny, and began life as a trapper.
-1983–
He secured a position as a stockmaker at Shiloh Sharps, where he manufactured his first 1,000 rifles. The company’s owner, Wolfgang Droge, was a skilled machinist and tool designer.
While sharing his expertise with Ren, he encouraged Ren to design jigs to improve the precision of manufacturing and assembly.
-June 1985–
At Flatiron Mandolin, he worked on mandolin production as a product manager and designer.
-February 1987
Flatiron Mandolin was acquired by Gibson and began supplying instruments as an OEM partner.
-March 1989
He began designing jigs for the new factory and built prototype guitars for testing.
-1996–
As a Gibson Master Builder, I oversaw warranty service, custom design, and tooling design.
I have developed one-of-a-kind, elite instruments, including the “Custom Line” and reissues of all “Historic Line” guitars.
-December 2011
I left Gibson. By then, the Custom Shop had shifted the majority of its manufacturing to the Gibson factory floor.With the cooperation of Val Boris and Jason Jones, he was no longer permitted to independently craft one-of-a-kind guitars. Furthermore, immediately after returning from a trip to Japan (in October), he was injured while hunting and suffered an injury that required three months to heal. At the age of 66, he decided that he might have the chance to work from home again (retirement).
- January 2012
After leaving Gibson, he attempted to retire temporarily, but Larry Thomas, then president of Fender, contacted Ren and asked him to further improve Guild products. Ren accepted the offer and became chief engineer of Fender’s Acoustic Division.He continued to play a wide-ranging role at both the Guild factory in New Hartford, Connecticut, and the Fender factory in Ensenada, Mexico, working on instrument design, manufacturing process improvements, and the design of decorative parts and models. He also created signature models for Guild, which was a subsidiary of Fender at the time.
At that time, a venture capital group acquired Fender.It was decided to sell the “Guild” brand and close the New Hartford factory.
-July 2014
The new owners of Cordoba/Guild approached Ren with the task of building a new factory in Oxnard, California. Ren moved to California with his wife, Lenny, and his son, Timothy, and began the process of setting up the new factory. -January 2017
He was recruited as a consultant for Shadow Electronics, a Chinese company planning to open a state-of-the-art acoustic guitar manufacturing plant.
-2019–present
He revived his own brand, “Ren Ferguson Co.”
Together with his children, Virginia and Timothy, he is working on creating custom models that bring together the creativity and passion he has cultivated over many years.

Ren Ferguson’s Work

Numerous renowned musicians—including George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ron Wood, Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Doyle Dykes, and Sheryl Crow—have cherished guitars crafted by Ren Ferguson.
Ren speaks about his roots as follows:
“When I was a child, my mother opened the door to the world of art for me. She was an artist, a draftsman, and a sculptor. She encouraged me to try my hand at everything. I was fortunate to visit art museums all over California, and I drew a great deal of inspiration from the various artists and crafts I encountered there.‘How are things made?’ ‘Why were they decorated that way?’—from a young age, these questions captivated my mind and never left me. From the functional art of Indigenous peoples to the artistic decorations found on everyday objects from the late 18th to the 19th century, I have tried to recreate and emulate them.”
Influenced by countless works of art, his guitars transcend the boundaries of mere musical instruments and are truly worthy of being called works of art endowed with musical functional beauty.
We at Advance Guitars are also among those who know the joy of owning one of his guitars.
In this article, we’d like to look back on Ren Ferguson’s body of work to date and explore its appeal, incorporating his own comments provided especially for this piece.