Approach

My style of making has evolved since 1986 when I first started making guitars. My first instrument was a 6 course lute made from a kit on the kitchen table, bending the staves using a steam box connected to a kettle.  My second instrument was a classical guitar that was made in about 5 different locations and as many countries as I travelled around europe, working in Italy and Germany. I bent the sides over a wood burning stove pipe, barechested and sweating away for hours. Luckily my skills and knowledge have improved since those early heady days!

I spent about 6 years working in isolation developing my ideas and experiences and this has helped me develop a sense of style and uniqueness in my guitars. I also spent time in some spanish workshops that helped me to understand why we do processes in a certain way.

My approach is of simplicity and fluency, making use of simple jigs to give more control in the working of components. I use power tools; sanders, routers, bandsaws, drill presses as they save time but there comes a point where the human hand has to make contact with the timber, adding a human 'vibration' to the molecules. This I believe helps form part of the identity and quality of the guitar and sets it apart from mass production.