Classical Guitar Maker
From Oxfordshire,
England
How long have you been doing this work?
10 years
What other lines of work have you had?
I teach the classical guitar a little, and before becoming a
guitar maker I studied English Literature at university.
What does your work consist of?
I make classical guitars to order –
mostly for music conservatory students, professionals and keen amateurs, as
well as to guitars dealers. I also do occasional repair work. I usually make
around ten guitars a year.
What training does someone have to
have to be qualified for this line of work?
I’m self-taught, using an
instruction book as my guide, though early on I had some guidance over the
phone from an established maker. No qualifications are needed – as with an
artist, if the work is good enough to sell then you are qualified. Once I had
already made some instruments I went on a summer course with a famous maker;
there are longer courses you can take, but after having studied at university I
didn’t fancy the discipline of going through a formal course again.
Have you won any awards for your
guitars? If so, what?
‘Fraid not! There aren’t any awards or competitions
that I’m aware of. Some concert guitarists play guitars of mine, which feels
like a kind of award.
What personal attributes must
someone have in order to be able to do this line of work?
Possibly patience, as one guitar
does take a long time to make, though as it’s an enjoyable process I’m not sure
that’s an issue.
For me it’s important to make the
best instrument I can without compromise, and the possibility of creating
something better each time keeps it interesting, so I suppose that being
self-critical and uncompromising are good qualities to have (in the work rather
than in life!)
"Guitars can be made entirely with hand tools or almost entirely with power tools, and every maker strikes his own balance between the two extremes."
Is there a class in school that you
can look back on and say was essential to have taken for what you do?
Nothing in particular from the
academic classes. The kind of instrument I make and the sound that I am after
come from my own playing, and the main influence on that – and my ideas on
sound and music generally – was from my guitar teacher at school. We’re still in touch and last year I
made a guitar for him, which was particularly nice to be able to do.
What lesson was the hardest to
learn about doing this work?
To try and free your mind from work
at the end of the day. I’m not sure I’ve fully learned it yet.
When you were a child, did you
conceive of doing this sort of thing when you grew up? What did you want to be?
When I was 15 I wanted to make a
guitar, though I think I wanted to do it only as a one-off project. I didn’t end up doing it, and then I
didn’t think about it again until I was in my last year of university and
thinking of what to do next. I
never had any clear ideas about what I wanted to do, though I never thought it
would be anything with my hands.
How many hours are in your working
week?
Depends how close I am to a
deadline, it can be many hours.
Do you have a second job?
I have a second job teaching guitar
at a primary school one day a week.
Would you consider this a job, a
vocation, or a sideline?
A vocation — I mainly enjoy it very
much.
Where is your work located?
In my workshop, which is on a farm.
Do you have to travel as part of
this work?
There is the occasional guitar
festival or talk on guitar making, and every year there will be a trip to a
wood dealer; sometimes in the UK, sometimes to one of several sawmills in the
Alps, where the spruce I use grows.
Do you work alone or as part of a
team?
Alone – for the most part I enjoy
it, but it’s nice to get the odd visitor and to get out and about meeting
guitarists.
Do you listen to music while you
work? If so, what?
I listen to BBC radio 3 – a
classical music station.
If you could change one thing about
your work environment, what would it be?
I rent a workshop on a farm, which
is a very nice location, but as there is no running water I have to lug the
water in a jerry can. I would
rather have a tap!
 |
| Two guitars being made |
What do you typically wear to work?
When my regular casual clothes
become too old and worn even for me. They fall off the conveyor belt into the
‘workshop approved’ bin.
What raw materials do you work
with?
Different kinds of wood: Alpine Spruce or Canadian Western
Red Cedar for the soundboard (front of the guitar), Indian Rosewood, Cypress or
Flamed Maple for the back and sides, South American Cedar for the neck, and
Ebony for the fretboard. Then
there are wood veneers of various kinds chosen purely for their colour used for
the decorations. I also use
shellac dissolved in alcohol for the French Polishing, and various glues – both
synthetic and natural (rabbit skin glue).
How does technology impact your
work?
Guitars can be made entirely with
hand tools or almost entirely with power tools, and every maker strikes his own
balance between the two extremes. I tend more to the hand-tool end of the scale – I find it more enjoyable
and satisfying.
Do you use any particular tools
specific to this work?
There are many tools and jigs
(fixtures for holding work in certain positions) which are specific to guitar
making and are either cheaper or better to make for yourself. For example, I made a cutter which spins
on a central pin for cutting the circular channel into which the rosette is
inlaid.
 |
| Rosette cutter |
Have you received any injuries
connected to your work? If so, what?
Touch wood I haven’t chopped off
any digits yet, but I have developed a dust allergy, so for the slightest
operation which produces dust (which is most things) I wear a powered
respirator. I like to think of
this allergy as a blessing in disguise, because in looking into dust-management
I became aware of how dangerous to health certain dust particles can be
(particularly those of tropical hardwoods such as ebony and rosewood).
Are there any words or terms used
in your line of work that you could share and explain?
Body resonance. A guitar has a pitch. You can find it by humming notes into
the soundhole; when the whole body of the guitar starts to vibrate you know you
have found that pitch: the body resonance. The body resonance doesn’t determine the quality of the
instrument – you can have good and bad instruments at any given pitch – but it
does go a long way to determining the character of the sound (darker, brighter,
etc.) My guitars generally come
out at F or F# (the pitch of the first or second fret on the 6th
string).
Please tell us about what you are
working on right now.
I’m just finishing the polishing on
a guitar made with Cypress back and sides. It’s usually used for flamenco instruments, and is a lighter
wood – in colour and weight – than the Indian Rosewood which is far more common
these days for classical instruments. But it gives a very strong, deep, and penetrating sound – I don’t get
many orders for it, but on the back of this guitar and a few others I’m hopeful
that I will do in the future. And
it has a pungent lemon smell which is nice to work with.
What are the biggest misconceptions
people have about what you do?
I’m not aware of any particular
misconceptions people have, though I have occasionally been asked if it’s hard
to let go of an instrument once it’s finished… it’s not! Once I’ve played it, and learned what I
can from the way it’s turned out, I’m far happier thinking of it being used to
make music than keeping it myself.
What is the hardest part of your
work?
French polishing – it’s a real dark
art; very temperamental and nothing to do with woodwork. Many Spanish makers farm this
work out.
What is the most rewarding part of
what you do?
Seeing people happy with their
guitar. And French Polishing (when
it goes just right).
What is the most mundane part of
your work?
French Polishing (I break my Radio
3 rule for this and listen to audio books – polishing can get pretty dull).
What is it you love about what you
do?
I like working with my hands – like
a cabinet maker — while there is also a musical element in that I am trying to
create a particular sound. It’s
also a great and un-diminishing challenge to make the best guitar I can –
especially when my opinion of what constitutes ‘best’ is constantly
changing.
People would be surprised to know
that:
Windows Paint is the perfect
program for designing the mosaic for the rosette.
What advice would you give someone
interested in doing this work?
Make as simple a guitar as
possible, as quickly as possible and with the best possible materials you can
find. Then you’ll know whether
you’ve got the bug, without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. Old guitar makers I’ve met don’t seem
to be particularly jaded, so I guess it’s a career that maintains its
interest. I also think it’s good
to have, or develop, passionate opinions about the kind of sound you like –
otherwise you may be too easily satisfied with nice, competent work and produce
bland instruments.
Can you please share an anecdote
about your work?
I was full of hopes for my third guitar, but when I strung it up and played it, it sounded dead. I was quite depressed about it for a while – I was supposed to be improving with every instrument and this was much worse than my first – until I looked inside and saw I had left in a block which was taped to the underside of the soundboard. I took it out and the guitar breathed!
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