1. What do you strive to accomplish in your instruments?

The guitar maker creates possibilities to be realized by the musician. Therefore, my goal is to give the player an instrument with the fullest possible musical potential. It must be responsive through the whole of the guitar's range with a full, open sound, strong in attack, yet with good sustain. It must have a broad dynamic range with an extensive palette of tone colours. I also strive to create an instrument that is beautiful, structurally sound, and very playable.

2. What is the Torres-Hauser school? Why do you work in this tradition?

Antonio de Torres is considered to be the father of the modern guitar. He was a great innovator, substantially enlarging the body of the guitar and lengthening its string length to 65 cm. He introduced symmetrical fan strutting and doming of the soundboard. Most of all, however, his was a new idea about the guitar. The Torres was a quantum leap from its predecessors in terms of its depth of tone and range of expressive possibilities. The design has much to offer the contemporary player. It reminds us of how much has been lost in the single-minded pursuit of volume and power at the expense of quality of sound.

Herman Hauser was an outstanding craftsman and the main purveyor of Torres's ideas in the 20th century.His work reached a very large audience through his association with Segovia. There are other exceptional practitioners in this school, of course, notably Manuel Ramirez and Jose Romanillos.

The Torres-Hauser tradition is a very open one. Both men experimented constantly, as do those who have followed them. Much of the innovation is subtle. It doesn't meet the eye, but its goal is to unlock the true sound of the guitar.

I work in this tradition because it roots me in the history of the guitar. It provides the inspiration of the greatest makers of the past, and allows me the freedom to explore future possibilities for the guitar and to grow as a maker.

3. What is special about your guitars in terms of craftsmanship?

Craftsmanship refers to the hand skill of the maker, the ability to create a beautiful and workable object.

I work largely with traditional methods and hand tools. This has the advantage of maximizing contact with the materials. Every component part of the guitar is made by me in my workshop--excluding machine heads and strings, of course. I make all my own rosettes, purflings and inlays so that they work together towards an aesthetically pleasing and highly playable whole.

One place where I like to demonstrate my 'hand skill' is in the head-to-neck joint which I accomplish through a hand-executed V-joint. This difficult but pleasing joinery is offered by only a small handful of makers today.

Craftsmanship is also, for the luthier, the ability to direct all these hand skills to the ultimate goal of musical excellence.

4. What types of wood do you use? Why?

I use the traditional woods for classical guitars: spruce, cedar, rosewoods, Spanish cedar, ebony. I use them because they work, and as long as they remain available there is no compelling reason to change.

I pay particular attention to seasoning of materials. My minimum requirement is five years, although much of my wood, especially that used for soundboards, is far older.

5. What is French polish and why do you use it?

French polish is a technique for the application of shellac in a very thin protective layer that enhances the beauty of wood with a lustrous but not high-gloss finish. It is ideal for the classical guitar in terms of both beauty and sound.

French polish is also environmentally friendly, in that the essential ingredients are shellac, alcohol and walnut oil. The use of French polish is in keeping with my conception of each guitar as an organic whole.

6. How do you look after a French-polished instrument?

French polish is not a hard, plastic coating; therefore it must be handled with care. Errant nails will mark the sound board. It is not as resistant to moisture and sweat. It dislikes the chemicals in perfumes and deodorants. A French-polished guitar, at some point in its life, will likely need to be touched up. In the right hands, this is likely to be a straightforward procedure.

7. What about humidity?

Extremes of temperature and humidity are the greatest hazards for a fine classical guitar. The guitar will be happiest at the temperature and humidity at which it was made. I normally build at 45-50% RH. This ensures that the guitar will survive and perform well in the widest range of climates and weather systems. I am able,however, to make particular instruments in higher or lower humidity environments in keeping with the needs of the client.

8. Do you make any other models of guitar? What about other kinds of instruments?

I also offer a Torres model. This guitar is modeled on Antonio de Torres's 'second epoch' when his concert guitar had become relatively standardized. This is a very lightly made guitar which faithfully reproduces the essence of the Torres sound, unsurpassed for 19th century music. It responds to a light touch and is very expressive, with an emphasis on clarity and focus in its sound.

I make Renaissance and Baroque lutes which are historically accurate reproductions of period instruments.

I also make a limited number of steel-string guitars for those players who demand the same high level of musical and aesthetic qualities that I offer in my classical instruments. Please contact me for details.