workshop - design approach.
My approach is one of questioning and experimentation – to challenge function and aesthetic. Guitars can always sound better, look better and feel better. I enjoy hearing what people have to say about handmade guitars because I believe that something can always be improved upon, and striving for that perfection is the driving force behind my work.

I have always felt that good aesthetics lie in shape, proportion and colour. I detail my instruments with this in mind, using line and colour to emphasize a particular colour tone of wood, highlight a shape or area, or give the instrument a certain character.

construction.
I have questioned every area of traditional guitar construction, from how the neck is joined to the body to soundboard bracing patterns, to how the back and soundboard are attached to the sides.

The necks on my guitars are made from Brazilian Mahogany. My neck joint is based on the classical guitar slipper heel joint construction as I have found that this gives the best sustain and stability. In the past I've made guitars with dovetail joints and pinned mortise & tenon joints but there has been a notable lack of sustain. Some may feel that a non-removable neck maybe a drawback, however I feel that if something is built correctly, with its longevity accounted for, it should never have to be dismantled.

I use long scales (typically 650mm) similar to classical guitars as I feel this elevates the tone, note separation and response of the guitar. The bridges, made from Indian ebony, are built with an increased break angle of the strings over the saddle. This gives an increased capacity for volume and gives the instrument’s tone more clarity.

The standard practice of forcing the back together with the sides, and relying on a glue joint to hold everything in place has never seemed ideal to me. There is a belief that building unnecessary stresses and strains into an instrument causes adverse effects both structurally and acoustically. By carefully controlling the tensions between the individual parts I aim to make a guitar that is strong and gives as natural a sound as possible.

wood and materials.
When making a guitar I am always looking for wood that will not move in time, and the only way to combat this is the use woods that are stable to start with. I use well-seasoned quarter-sawn wood as it provides the best stability through its radial ring tensions being limited. I am constantly hunting for the highest quality tonewoods available.

For my sound boards I'm currently using the Italian Spruce. Italian spruce is similar to Englemann Spruce in sound and appearance. It gives a wonderfully warm tone with great response.

For back and side materials, I use best quality Indian, African Black Wood, Honduras and Madagascan Rosewoods, all of which give their own clarity and depth of sound. I also use Rippled European Maple English Sycamore to produce softer tones than the rosewoods and Honduras, African Mahogany or European Walnut on models that require warm mellow tones.

Although Brazilian Rosewood has gained high regard in bespoke guitar making, since its ban the material being supplied is often of inferior quality to other rosewoods. I feel that there are many alternatives which can not only create a similar tone but are also more sustainable. Therefore I will only be offering pre-ban reclaimed Brazilian Rosewood if I have it available.