Del Langejans

Delwyn J. Langejans is an innovative American luthier. He handcrafts everything from reversible dualette guitars to harp guitars.

A descendant of farmer immigrants from Bentheim, Germany, Langejans was born and raised in Holland, Michigan, where his luthier shop keeps him busy building guitars for such notable musicians as Thom Bresh (Merle Travis's son) and Jars of Clay.

His father being a homebuilder, woodworking was a skill Langejans picked up early in life. While in school, he developed a strong work ethic and an even stronger love of music. During his time in the US Navy, Langejans made regular practice of entertaining his fellow sailors with his accordion and guitar talents.

After his naval discharge, Langejans took a job at Meyer Music in Holland, where he was trained in the intricacies of instrument repair and electronics. In 1971, he began to design and build his own guitars, originally bearing the name Del's. He has made over 1200 guitars as of 2006, many of them custom-made-to-order, putting Langejans guitars in the hands of numerous stars from all genre of music.

The Langejans Dualette is a two sided guitar which was custom made for Thom Bresh. On one side is a steel string-guitar and on the other is a nylon-string. The harp guitar at the right was custom made for Hall of Fame Finger-picker Muriel Anderson. Langejans also makes banjo-guitars as well as standard type models. At one point, so many orders had been called in that there was a four-year waiting list for a Langejans guitar. As of 2013, the Langejans website stated "Del is no longer making guitars".