Welcome, this is the Limehill story.
Established 2019 in the rural Waikato, now operating out of our capital city Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, New Zealand. Limehill Guitars is an all encompassing luthier service run independently by Laurence Frangos-Rhodes.
About me
When I young I quickly learned that I had a great practical skillset, I loved making things.
I would build and create in whatever way possible, I spent most of my childhood in the workshop familiarising myself with woodworking machinery.
At about the age of 10 I picked up the guitar, I was introduced to folk and Bluegrass music by my music teacher which quickly became a passion of mine. I would attend as many music festivals, jams and concerts as I could, more times than not I would be on stage myself, with my family in our band called “Rhodeworks”.
This set the stage perfectly for the next chapter of my life, luthiery. Because I found myself passionate about music, and woodworking, why not combine those two things?
I built my first guitar at the age of 13 under the supervision of an experienced luthier, Johan van der Gaag.
In 2019 I started Limehill Guitars part time, this slowly grew as did my workload, so In 2026 I moved to Wellington NZ, and without hesitation made the decision to take Limehill guitars to the next level, and pursue career in luthiery full time.
So, why choose Limehill guitars?
As a professional musician myself I believe this puts me in a unique position as a luthier to fully understand the wants and needs of other musicians. I think its very important as a luthier, to know whats its like to be in the position of my clients, and see things from their point of view.
My goal is to have an open line of communication with musicians, I want to fully understand their requirements and needs when it comes to their tools of the trade. I understand that instruments are a deeply personal thing and individual preference is always taken into consideration above all else when it comes to services I provide.
If you have been looking for the right person for the job, and you’re looking to have your instrument setup, repaired, a new instrument made, or simply seeking the right advice. Please do not hesitate to reach out today, I look forward to hearing from you, Thanks – Laurence.
P.S, and shameless plug, if you want to check out my band ‘You, Me,Everybody’ see the link below.
You, Me, Everybody
Limehill Guitars