I have been building musical instruments for over 40 years, a lot of the time while working in other jobs, almost all music and arts related. I started building instruments because I wanted an Irish bouzouki to play and at that time building one seemed the easiest way of getting one. That led to another, then a guitar, a mandolin and it has all gone on from there. Creating an attractive and responsive stringed instrument is simply the most satisfying activity I know and there is great joy in hearing a talented musician create music on one of my instruments.
These days I concentrate on acoustic mandolins, but I am always happy to make another bouzouki or ukulele. There are various examples on these pages as well as two pages with New Instruments and Ideas and another with a project to recreate Forgotten Mandolins.
Over the years I have made guitars, both steel string and classical, solid body electric bouzoukis and mandolins as well as a number of sympathetic string violins, somewhat in the style of the Norwegian hardanger fiddle and even a baritone banjo bouzouki. I can often be tempted into making a hybrid one-off instrument. Feel free to call or email.
