My goals are to make instruments that look good, sound good and are a constant joy to play and look at. At the same time I want to have fun and learn. All instruments are hand made by myself from carefully selected woods. I will be making between 5 to 10 instruments per year.
I am aware that most guitar players and as a result guitar builders are conservative. If it's not a spruce or cedar top with rosewood back and sides (or at a push mahogany, walnut, koa or maple) then there must be something wrong. There are a host of other interesting and potentially tonally great woods out there begging to be used on guitars, and given the pressures on supplies of traditional materials this is where both players and makers will have to go.
I positively want to explore these new woods, using techniques such as multiple piece backs and tops - and necks. African Padauk is an amazing looking wood with a tap tone similar to Brazilian Rosewood (see "Celtic Tigger") , and an all African Padauk guitar is on the project "to do" list.
If I lived in a big enough house I would keep all the guitars I make, but I have hit the space limit so must let new creations go to "loving homes" (a euphamism for selling them).
