About:

By the time I started guitar making in my early 30 s I had already learned a number of arts and crafts, so I had no worries about the crafting aspect, but I didn't know how long it would take to be able to produce a really fine musical instrument. In 1993 I began by studying the guitars of Antonio de Torres to gain insight into the fundamentals of traditional spanish guitar-making -  from then on, the experience of making itself became my teacher. I found that my guitars improved steadily from batch to batch as I experimented, and I learned to trust my instincts more and more. I continue to work in this way, always adjusting and refining, and usually the ideas work to move things in the right direction. I am more instinctive than scientific in approach, although I do make notes about various things, particularly the pitches of the front and back during construction and afterwards - this has been very useful for subsequent fine-tuning.

In this process of learning, the input from guitarists has been very important, since they opened my ears to the qualities necessary in a fine guitar, and gradually, as a result, I have been able to develop my own faculties for critical listening. You can only change something if you're aware of it. Once you're aware, you can try and build in the change. Just how you do that is a combination of experience and instinct.

It is very important ( for me ) to conceive a clear idea of the sound I want to create, not just as a series of descriptive words, but to actually try and hear the sound in my head as far as possible, to imagine the various parts of the guitar vibrating, and to bear this in mind during the process of making. This habit of keeping the sound concept in mind whilst making keeps the work fresh and interesting and enables the me to tailor a guitar to an individual.

I am always seeking to improve on what I've done before, not out of frustration, but because it is natural. Seeking to make "the perfect guitar" I don't find very useful ( except as an abstract idea) since there cannot be only one kind of perfect guitar - but trying to embody the best musical qualities in a guitar at any given time, for a particular set of circumstances, materials, players' requirements, is stimulating and challenging. There are a whole range of different tonal possibilities to explore, which no single guitar can provide, and consequently it is necessary to experiment to discover some of them.

Contact:

Rohan Lowe, UK