Ari Lehtela moved from Finland to North America in the 1970s to play music professionally in Canada and the USA. Lehtela started making guitars in the 1990s following a meeting with Charlotte (NC) builder, Luke Lukuer. Impressed by the sound and playability of Luke's instruments, Ari Lehtela was convinced of the superiority of hand made instruments. He officially launched the Lehtela brand in 1997, with the opening of the LA Guitar Factory in Charlotte.

Source: Lehtela Guitars website (15 December 2017)