News
My guitar repair book has now been published, and is available through the publishers Crowood Press.
The book covers a wide range of repairs, guiding readers through the steps required for each process, and illustrated with detailed photographs of each stage.
More details here: The Guitar Repair Book
The Guitars
The guitars I build are responsive and allow the player to express their own musicality. I always aim to make guitars that I would be happy to own and play myself.
Built mainly in the Spanish tradition, my guitars are sensitive to the player’s touch, with good clarity and separation. They have deep, warm basses and sweet trebles, with good balance.
Playability
Ease of playing is an important consideration, and is achieved by attention to detail in shaping the neck, finishing the fingerboard and frets, and accurate setting of the action, which can be specified to meet the needs of the individual player. Standard scale length is 650mm, but shorter (and longer) scale lengths can be specified.
Aesthetics
The visual aspect of my guitars is relatively simple, allowing the grain and colour of the particular woods used to determine the visual impact of the guitar. Traditional finishes are used, either French polish or Danish oil, which enhance the natural beauty of the wood, without compromising the tone.
Tonewoods
Top quality European spruce is normally used for the soundboard, although western red cedar is an option. A wide variety of tonewoods are available for the back and sides. I now also offer guitars made without using any tropical hardwoods (see images of my 100th guitar here).
Custom Features
Exhibitions for 2024
Classical Guitar Retreat, St Andrews, Scotland
11th – 14th July 2024