Guitarmaking
Antarctica, South Georgia, India, Leith
I began guitarmaking as a hobby whilst working in the Antarctic. The long dark southern winters invite the learning of new indoor skills, so I chose to try my hand at musical instrument making. The station had an excellent carpentry shop, which I’d already used for making picture frames, small gifts, and a djembe drum during my first winter of 2007. Over the winter of 2008 I built a steel string acoustic guitar, and was so surprised that I could actually do it to a reasonable standard that I got hooked and began teaching myself the craft properly, and slowly building the makings of a workshop in the UK. Here are a small selection of photos covering my first 10 guitars (including a ukulele built on South Georgia Island, and an electric guitar - a special commission for a friend). I was able for a short while to make my living designing and building custom guitars, before illness stopped play in 2016. I look forward to being in a position once again to form up my workshop and get back to making beautiful stringed instruments.
