In
my early teens I was a very keen budding guitarist, unfortunately not a
financially independent budding guitarist, so being the type of lad that was
always building models and pulling my bike apart (and rebuilding it) I decided
to build an electric guitar.
This I did, with the minimum amount of tools and very little help and absolutely no experience, the end result was playable but definitely no Gibson. I was a little disappointed but I had gained a satisfaction that comes from finishing a challenge. A friend of mine saw something he liked about it and I gave it to him, which solved the disappointment and rekindled the desire to try again.
Sometime later I was lucky enough to get a Saturday morning job with a professional guitar repairer. With his bountiful patience and guidance I began to learn the basics of guitar construction and repair. During the time I worked with him I bought and fully restored a second hand electric guitar and this time the end result was much better and some valuable lessons were learned along the way. Guitars took a back seat as I grew older, I completed my cabinet making trade certificate with credits and went on to running my own business for 20 years building bespoke furniture for private clients and interior designers. During that time I built many beautiful pieces using mahogany, oak, blackwood, maple and other species. I learnt lacquering, oiling and French polish techniques and importantly an understanding of timber as a medium. To really understand how timber reacts it takes years of experience, consistent acquisition of different species and life’s best teacher, trial and error. My tool and machinery collection grew and was refined over the years. The many challenges presented to me over the years of cabinetmaking, have helped me to further develop and fine tune my woodworking skills.
This I did, with the minimum amount of tools and very little help and absolutely no experience, the end result was playable but definitely no Gibson. I was a little disappointed but I had gained a satisfaction that comes from finishing a challenge. A friend of mine saw something he liked about it and I gave it to him, which solved the disappointment and rekindled the desire to try again.
Sometime later I was lucky enough to get a Saturday morning job with a professional guitar repairer. With his bountiful patience and guidance I began to learn the basics of guitar construction and repair. During the time I worked with him I bought and fully restored a second hand electric guitar and this time the end result was much better and some valuable lessons were learned along the way. Guitars took a back seat as I grew older, I completed my cabinet making trade certificate with credits and went on to running my own business for 20 years building bespoke furniture for private clients and interior designers. During that time I built many beautiful pieces using mahogany, oak, blackwood, maple and other species. I learnt lacquering, oiling and French polish techniques and importantly an understanding of timber as a medium. To really understand how timber reacts it takes years of experience, consistent acquisition of different species and life’s best teacher, trial and error. My tool and machinery collection grew and was refined over the years. The many challenges presented to me over the years of cabinetmaking, have helped me to further develop and fine tune my woodworking skills.
Ten
years ago I realised that Mahogany and other important furniture species were
seriously on the decline and that I was witnessing the end of a golden era for
these wonderful timbers. Knowing that furniture requires a lot of wood for an
average sized piece, I began to doubt the long term future for my business. I
clearly saw a change from the way things were done to the way they were going
to be done. This change was inevitable and was the catalyst for me to make a
shift, co-incidentally the guitar had come back into my life as I had started
to build again for myself.
On my first acoustic build I contacted John Price from a recommendation from a trade rep, to ask a few questions. John is a very talented luthier and cabinetmaker, and immediately we had a common interest. It was on my third guitar that he made an offer to teach me how to build concert classicals, something I was not at all expecting, but did not hesitate to accept in an instant. To be taught by someone so talented is a privilege and compliment all at once, and he has been able to enlighten me to the very inner knowledge of fine guitar construction and so much more relating to the world of a classical guitar maker.
On my first acoustic build I contacted John Price from a recommendation from a trade rep, to ask a few questions. John is a very talented luthier and cabinetmaker, and immediately we had a common interest. It was on my third guitar that he made an offer to teach me how to build concert classicals, something I was not at all expecting, but did not hesitate to accept in an instant. To be taught by someone so talented is a privilege and compliment all at once, and he has been able to enlighten me to the very inner knowledge of fine guitar construction and so much more relating to the world of a classical guitar maker.
I
did a lot of furniture reproductions as a cabinetmaker, but when it came to
building my own guitars I felt the need to produce a non-copy, a guitar with my
own plantilla and slight variations in bracing and internal structure. I
started off following the method that I was taught and have incrementally
changed some things to suit the ideals I’m looking for. Consequently I have
found this to be an ongoing process of subtle changes, one at a time, with an
emphasis on not making too big a departure from the last guitar. This enables
me to easily identify any improvements gained, without the confusion of having
done too many alterations at once.
To me the classical guitar is something very special amongst guitars. It is not an easy instrument to get right and as such I strive to meet a personal benchmark on each guitar. This benchmark allows me to build on a very consistent level and therefore guarantees the construction and tonal qualities.
To me the classical guitar is something very special amongst guitars. It is not an easy instrument to get right and as such I strive to meet a personal benchmark on each guitar. This benchmark allows me to build on a very consistent level and therefore guarantees the construction and tonal qualities.
