I've been making guitars since 1998, entirely handcrafted and made to spec. I take great satisfaction in crafting one-off instruments to a customer's specific taste, as well as making standard models. I build gypsy jazz guitars and nylon string/classical guitars, as well as electric ones.
Today, the competition from factory-built instruments is fierce and a handcrafted guitar needs to be of the highest standard – as well as unique. For that reason, I select by hand and carefully craft every piece of wood, taking into account both the visual aspect but more importantly the physical qualities of the wood that will lead to the best sound for the instrument. And I think it’s important to pay attention to the musician’s ideas and taste – they will spend more time with their instruments than I do, after all. Having a guitar specially made can sometimes be an uncertain process. It’s not always easy to define what it is needed or wanted and this is where my expertise as a guitar maker comes in.
I have been involved with guitars from a young age, learning my craft on the guitar-making course at London Metropolitan University in east London. I trained there for four years under the supervision of Dave Witheman, Norman Mayll and Dave King and also worked as a part-time repairer at Hanks guitar shop in Denmark Street in London. After gaining work experience at the workshops of Dave King and Bernie Goodfellow, I set up my own workshop in east London in 2005.
I believe that an instrument that has been made entirely by hand at each stage is always something special and unique – and I believe it can take the musician to higher musical achievement and creative self-discovery.