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=> A new prototype guitar/bouzouki..
Saturday, March 20, 2010
The new prototype guitar/bouzouki, a modified cutaway guitar shape allowing 16 frets to the join with body. Excellent full sound, big bass response and nice clear trebles. And a great test of new supplies I have of NZ grown Tasmanian Blackwood. I think this will be joining the bouzouki options available. | | | |
=> New Harp/Guitar CD available now..
| | Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Golden Strand, the new CD of harp and guitar from Helen Webby & Davy Stuart is now available - check it out HERE
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--> Home are the travellers..
Monday, January 25, 2010
And it's good to be home, after 5 weeks in Europe. Lots of snow, lots of travel, lots of great times. And the surprise bonus of seeing the great Donegal band 'Altan' in Paris.
So it's back to work, which isn't bad thing :) | | | |
--> On the road, again..
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Goodbye Summer and hello Winter, as my wife and I are off the UK and Europe for Christmas holidays. Yes, I know, luthiers are always on holiday anyway. All best wishes of the Season and please bear with me if i take longer than usual to respond to emails. | | | |
--> Website revised - at last!
| | Monday, September 01, 2008
Welcome to the revised website, at long last. It'll no doubt undergo more changes in the coming weeks, but I hope you find it easy enough to navigate around. Now I must go and do some 'proper' work at the workbench, making pieces of wood smaller. Thanks for visiting! | |
--> Chris Newman's new all-black guitar
| | Friday, April 13, 2007
When Chris asked me to build him a guitar, I was shocked, surprised and pleased, though not necessarily in that order! While on tour here in New Zealand, he got the chance to play a few of my guitars and settled on my cutaway OM-style model. We talked about timbers and the like and how it would be nice to produce something which might visually complement Maire's harp on stage.
Net result? Black. And he meant BLACK - machineheads, nut, saddle - if it could be black it was to be.. And I said yes... though it was me who suggested putting Mother of Pearl around the soundhole and the edge of the front. The only other requirement - a full 24 fret ebony fingerboard with Mother of Pearl side position dots.
Of course when the time came to build it, the full implications became apparent. The select flamed Honduras mahogany neck, the AAA grade Indian Rosewood back and sides, the AAA grade Italian Spruce front would all have to be painted... Of course the further on the process went, the more difficult it became to cover up all that lovely wood. I tried hard to persuade him otherwise but Chris was determined. And so black it was to be, which of course got me thinking. The inside had to be painted too. And how can you get nuts and saddles in black? A bit of trawling and presto, Graphtech nuts and saddles. And sourcing Mother of Pearl wasn't a problem, though cutting all the pieces one by one was time-consuming - no laminated shell here, this is solid 1mm thick pearl! And so it took shape.. until finally I sent it off to John Sutherland in Wellington, NZ, a trusty friend who had agreed to custom paint the instrument in metallic black, "with a hint of red". And Black Beauty was born.. Now with the addition of a K&K Pure pickup it has taken its place 'on stage'. | | | |
--> News from the 'new' workbench on Southshore
| | Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Life is great down by the beach- our dog thinks he's died and gone to heaven.. Lots of vistors last month, including James Keelaghan, Oscar Lopez and the indefatigable Andy Irvine. Great crack altogether!
cheers
davy |
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