Specification

The starting point for any fine musical instrument will always be the raw materials. I use the best and most appropriate materials for your particular brief. I will talk more specifically about the particular choices of woods and their characteristics and why I use them in a moment, but listed here is the standard specification for the instruments I make.

Top - European spruce
Back and sides - Indian rosewood
Neck - Brazilian mahogany
Fingerboard - ebony
Bridge – ebony
Saddle & nut - bone
Machine heads - gold-plated Gotoh
Tailpiece - solid brass for ball end strings
Adjustable truss rod

All instruments are finished using a pre-catalysed 20% sheen lacquer. I don’t use grain filler or sanding sealer or any other product to fill or seal the wood as this can have a detrimental effect on the tone.

Pickups can be fitted to all instruments. I have been using the Headway system for a number of years now and I find it to be a great unit, very reliable with superb sound. Here’s a bit of text from their web site which tells you everything you need to know.

“The Headway HE1 series of acoustic pickups are tailored to match the natural qualities of the acoustic guitar or specified instrument, without needing to alter the appearance.

They offer a clear transparent sound that is harmonically rich, yet delivers a low impedance output to suit your mixer, FX unit, or combo, with minimal cable sensitivity.

Headway minimises nasties such as feedback, circuit noise, interference, distortion, and body handling noise”.

Mandolins, Mandolas, Bouzoukis, Citterns