I have been a guitar maker since roughly 1980. My first guitar was a steel string acoustic guitar and it is still in use today. At that time I had no real fine wood working experience and very few tools. Today most tasks are still performed by hand, few machines are used. This is important in a hand made instrument as the luthier must be in contact with the timbers and have a "feel" for the responsiveness of the parts he is preparing. If this is not done then the final instrument is nothing more than a factory instrument and the final quality is in the lap of the gods, so to speak.
I love the contact with the woods and my time spent in the workshop is always a pleasure. Every day is a new learning experience, and it is because of this experience that my instruments improve. The finish I prefer for my guitars is the beautiful French Polish (shellac), which is also applied by hand. I make only one guitar at a time. In every guitar I make slight changes as I seek to continually improve the sound and playability of each instrument. Some of these changes are actually compensation for the differences in each piece of timber that I use.
My workshop is in Queensland, Australia. I have a family with one son Daniel, 8 years old, partner Cheryl (age not readily available), and my two faithful German Shepherds buddies have recently passed away. Life in the shop is not what it used to be without their company, but we have been busy looking at puppies and hope to replace them soon.
Classical guitars are an important part of my life. I have studied piano, music, guitar making and guitar playing extensively. My most significant guitar teacher was Jason Waldron in Adelaide. Jason is one of Australia's finest guitarists and teachers. Being a good player allows me to properly evaluate my instruments, and more importantly it allows me to enjoy them after they are made.
As with most makers, I am a lover and hoarder of wood. I travel world wide to purchase my timber and select only the finest I can find. I love each and every piece that I use. They all have their own qualities, but I do have my favourites.
Producing high quality instruments is not easy and it takes patience and skill. These skills are developed over time and after making many many instruments. As my skills increase, so does my taste and thus the instruments continue to evolve. Nothing is stagnant. Every guitar is a new adventure, most of which are successful, but the occasional one is not and this keeps the guitar maker honest. I do not send out a guitar unless I am totally happy with it.
