Handmade Instruments. Built to Be Played.
My grandfather taught me to play guitar when I was thirteen.
At seventeen, I told a teacher I wanted to make guitars. He happened to know a luthier who needed help. I went to work for Stefan Sobell in 1988. Apart from a two-year break, I was there until 2003.
Sobell is self-taught and non-conformist. His construction methods are unlike anyone else’s, and his sound reflects that. Working alongside him for that long shaped how I think about wood, structure, and what a well-made instrument is for. The main thing I took from those years was the habit of continuing to experiment. Without that, there isn’t much point.
In 2004 I opened my own workshop in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2015 we moved to Leipzig. In 2018 to South East Queensland, where the workshop now sits in the Gold Coast hinterland.
I build in small batches, usually two instruments at a time. The work includes acoustic guitars, tenor guitars, Irish bouzoukis, guitar bouzoukis, mandolins, and archtops. Clients are professional musicians, collectors, and serious players.
If you’re considering commissioning something, have a look around, read the testimonials, and get in touch when you’re ready.
