June 2023
We’ve just had the solstice and a prolonged period of summer weather, here’s a photo of the hawthorn blossom at the entrance to our lane earlier in the month.
We had two of our serious Brook collectors down to pick up their latest guitars. First of all Tony from North West London for his Koa and Douglas fir Newlyn,
And John from Sidmouth for his walnut and cedar 12 fret Torridge. Between them they have forty of our instruments!
One of John’s earliest Brooks was this sunburst Torridge we made in 1996!
John from Southampton couldn’t make it down to pick up his new Carey unfortunately so we sent it off to him,
He’s now planning on coming down later in the year to have a look around the workshop and we’ll see if the guitar needs a tweak then.
Here’s the reality of a genuine guitar workshop, not the clinical, posed photo with chisel and wood-shavings you see on the ’boutique’ makers’ websites – maybe we’re just bloody untidy! Anyhow, the main reason for this photo was to show Andy fitting a Baggs system to this J200.
You may remember this Little Silver we completed back in January – Jon was kind enough to get in touch the other day to say –
“I’ve been in possession of my wonderful Little Silver Terz for going on for three months now and I just wanted to say what a fantastic little instrument it is developing into. It is so much fun to play, it’s comfortable and easy and it just sings. I’m very pleased with the appearance too, it was a brave choice, I think, to go with the yellow, but it has been well admired by everyone who has seen and played it. If I could I would have my Creedy remade to the same design. If anyone else out there is thinking about a new guitar that sounds a little different to a standard tuned guitar, I would thoroughly recommend a Little Silver short scale, and be brave with your design choices, my Little Silver is a totally unique, one of a kind instrument, how amazing is that. Thanks again, Jon”
Jon Woode got in touch to let us know he’d been featured on The Great American Folk Show based in Fargo and hosted by Tom Brosseau. Jon says “The second song I play is one of my latest, it’s called Hawker’s Request and it is played on my Brook Tamar“. You can listen to the program here. Jon also has a Lamorna on order.
Marcus, from Brixham, let us know he’d bought a Lyn we’d made last year for Intersound. He kindly sent us these two photos, one with his dog Indhi. He also mentioned he’s considering adding a larger Brook to the fold!
Thanks also to Dan from New Hampshire who has a much admired twenty year old cocobolo Tamar, here he is playing an open mic in a local bar!
We’re refinishing this Eric Clapton Strat in Olympic White after the original lacquer started peeling off.
We had a little repair work to do on this fairly new Andean charango – it gave us the opportunity to compare it to an old one we were given quite a few years ago. We’re pleased to see the original style – using an armadillo shell, has fallen out of fashion!
Tim called in for a K&K to be fitted to his walnut baritone Blackwater and treated us to a couple of new songs he’d composed on the guitar – unplugged!
We’ve some interesting guitars almost ready to leave so look in again next month for the latest news from the workshop.