Mark The Maker
Guitars have been the one constant in my life since the age of 8 when I strummed my first chord. I have been in giging bands since the age of 15, but now mostly play the acoustic guitar. I have always made things. As a small child in England I was making ski lifts for my action man out of old plastic bottles and kites out of plastic bags.
When I left school I studied furniture making, but after receiving my qualification I soon realised that my real passion was in luthiery. Luckily there was a guitar making school at the Leeds College of Music, so I packed my bags and off I went for the next three years. As I thought of myself as a young rock star I studied the art of making the electric guitar. I was fortunate to be taught by Gorden Witham, from Gorden Smith guitars, and Ted Lee, who was part of the Manchester and Merseyside music scene in the 60's. Ted has worked on guitars for Robert Fripp, 10cc, Roxy Music, Adam and the Ants, even The Beatles, to name just a few. Needless to say I learned so much from these two, and I will always be greatful for the start they gave me on my path to becoming a luthier.
When I left school I studied furniture making, but after receiving my qualification I soon realised that my real passion was in luthiery. Luckily there was a guitar making school at the Leeds College of Music, so I packed my bags and off I went for the next three years. As I thought of myself as a young rock star I studied the art of making the electric guitar. I was fortunate to be taught by Gorden Witham, from Gorden Smith guitars, and Ted Lee, who was part of the Manchester and Merseyside music scene in the 60's. Ted has worked on guitars for Robert Fripp, 10cc, Roxy Music, Adam and the Ants, even The Beatles, to name just a few. Needless to say I learned so much from these two, and I will always be greatful for the start they gave me on my path to becoming a luthier.
A young me on guitar #2
After leaving college, although I really wanted to be building guitars from scratch, I needed some fast money, so I started repairing guitars for the local shops in Leeds. This was going well, but I soon realised that working in the shops selling guitars gave me a more regular pay cheque. So I started working in my first music shop, Fox's Music. During the next 13 years I worked in countless guitar shops, doing both repairs and sales. I ended up in London, where I started to specialise in the acoustic guitar, due to my knowlege of guitar construction and woods. I ran the acoustic department at Rose Morriss and The Acoustic Centre in Wapping, Birmingham and Manchester. In 2002, I came to Australia. I did a bit of a stint as a rep for Gibson guitars, and then finished my career in guitar shops with The Acoustic Centre in Melbourne (totally unrelated to the UK stores).
I have played and repaired thousands of acoustics during this period, and I now use this knowledge when buidling my guitars. I know what the best guitars in the world sound like, and I build mine with that sound in mind. In 2009 I studied with Chris Wayne of Thomas Lloyd guitars in Monsalvat, who introduced me to the wonderful tone woods of Australia. I really wanted to push my skills to the next level so over a three month period in 2012 I built a guitar in the workshops of Phil Carson Crickmore. Phil has been building guitars for over 30 years and in my opinion his workmanship is second to none. During these three months he introduced me to new techniques and procedures and helped me hone my skills to enable me to make the high standard of guitars I now achieve.
I now build guitars using ethically sourced and sustainable tone woods. I also use non toxic finishes that enhance the tone of the instrument. Most guitars use unnecessarily toxic finishes and unsustainable timbers. I know I am not alone in my wish to build more sustainable guitars, that are kinder to us and the planet, with no compromise on tone and quality. I am happy to be part of the change.
I now build guitars using ethically sourced and sustainable tone woods. I also use non toxic finishes that enhance the tone of the instrument. Most guitars use unnecessarily toxic finishes and unsustainable timbers. I know I am not alone in my wish to build more sustainable guitars, that are kinder to us and the planet, with no compromise on tone and quality. I am happy to be part of the change.
