A one-room studio atop a wooded hill on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island is where the magic happens for master luthier Reuben Forsland. He’s a storyteller, only the stories he tells aren’t made of words, they’re fashioned of wood and metal. Forsland spends his time building custom acoustic guitars—and the stories behind the instruments and collaborations with his clients are just as important to him as the superb build quality and sound of his creations.

Born and raised in central Alberta, Forsland, a master carpenter, has spent most of his life building things, ranging from custom furniture and houses to skateboards and surfboards. He became a professional luthier in 2014. Forsland was nine years old when he saved up for his first guitar; later he wanted to start playing again as an adult, and realized he could build a guitar for himself, and the rest was history. The quality of Forsland’s JOI Guitars, coupled with their customization and unique components and materials, have attracted interest from professional musicians, like Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. But you don’t have to be famous to order a guitar from Forsland.

The luthier was recently commissioned by Jared Heisey, a contractor based in Virginia, to make a guitar as a tribute to Heisey’s recently deceased father, Richard, a master furnituremaker and amateur bluegrass player. When Richard died, he left a stack of mahogany wood in the family barn, sourced from a tree known in the guitar industry simply as “The Tree.” Toppled in 1965 and dragged out of the Belize jungle to the sawmill only years later, the mahogany tree became legendary for the rare dark tortoise shell patterning and remarkable acoustic qualities of its wood. And for the guitars built out of that wood.

Forsland spoke with Smithsonian by email about his craft and the making of Heisey’s “Legacy” guitar.

What makes a JOI guitar different from other guitars?

It’s the ideas born from each guitar concept, as well as the desire to create an emotional response and have my work connect with others. I value having the piece connect to the heart and mind of others just as much as I do the guitar’s sonic experience, or sound.