Handmade and Customised Guitars in Halifax
I made my first guitar in 1977. I have been playing almost as long as I can remember and desperately wanted a twelve stringer, but of course I could not afford the quality instrument I wanted.
My father was a carpenter, so I was brought up with a good knowledge of wood and construction techniques. I read everything there was available regarding instrument building and sourcing materials, no Internet back then of course, and eventually produced a twelve string guitar that played and sounded pretty good!
Before long I was asked by a friend to make him a guitar, so I did and sold them both.
Some time later I was playing in a folk group and more instruments were made; this time, they included mandolins and mandolas and some more guitars. Some other guys in a band saw my work and ordered more instruments.
I was then asked all the time about repair work and started to repair instruments for lots of music shops in my area which kept me quite busy. However, what I wanted to do was build individual custom-made guitars specifically tailored to a player's needs, so that's what I did, alongside my carpentry business, for the last thirty-five years. I have been, and will never stop, researching, experimenting, developing and honing my skills as a builder of acoustic instruments.
I have never advertised the fact that I make instruments, but as I am getting older, I will now be devoting all of my time pursuing my passion for instrument building. If you would like me to build you a handmade guitar, using my experience and your personal input, please contact me.
John Stafford.