Philosophy

Finding the middle ground…

It is a widely held notion that a luthier's guitar is an expensive tailor-made instrument accessible only to the privileged few.

Whilst this can be true, this is not what I am about. It is my goal to make hand made guitars available to a wider range of guitarists - by building a small range of carefully designed guitars - a mini series, I am also able to cater to the needs of the up and coming guitarist. This reflects my passion to build for the impassioned guitar player, regardless of their budget. Designed with sobriety and a certain minimalism, these guitars are nonetheless true luthier instruments, made by a craftsman.

Sensitivity to the environment

My sensitivity to environmental issues as well as the restrictions on the trade in exotic woods have led me to question my overall approach to guitar making.

With this mini series, the goal is to offer a guitar without compromise in terms of sound, playability and aesthetics but made entirely in non-exotic wood, preferably from local and sustainable sources. I have enjoyed the challenge of sourcing beautiful locally produced wood that both lowers costs and sits more comfortably with my ethos.

And the good news is that more and more guitarists, who share my concerns, are convinced with this approach and enjoy playing them with no concessions on sound quality or design.

Whilst local woods are less expensive it adds to the challenge given my passion for both design and delivering the best sound - sourcing dry wood with the perfect grain, the wistful fleck or unique colour palette takes time and patience - this is not an easy route but an enjoyable challenge; to make sure that my guitars sit amongst the best in terms of beauty and playability.

Finding the right trade off

My current preference is to use woods such as walnut, oak, and cherry. Not just any board, a unique board that has the perfect balance and grain pattern. One that is carefully selected and dried for a long period. With an eye on the future, I am constantly looking for alternatives.

The Fingerboard challenge

The fingerboard is usually the part of the guitar that presents the most challenges in finding suitable European substitutes. The wood should be hard, dense and preferably dark in colour. To meet this challenge, I have adapted a technique involving vacuum resin injection which hardens and densifies the wood. This allows me to use walnut, a dark wood that is very figurative but ordinarily too soft to be used for this part of the guitar. This technique can also be used for other woods. This process also has the advantage of sealing the wood and making the fingerboard and neck more stable to changes in humidity.