Luthiers Course - My East Indian Rosewood, Classical Guitar

My Experience at the Thomas Lloyd School of Guitar Making.
A Testimonial by Will Hancock.

"When I saw the ad in the paper, it spoke directly to me!"

When I took the mission out there for a chat with Chris it was sealed. But when I chose to embark on the Thomas Lloyd Guitars Luthiers Course the times they were a changing and the fun was about to begin. Tim Tams and tea were the flavour and a pile of book-matched deep, chocolately, rich, dark East Indian Rosewood was placed on the bench.

We were off and running. With the back on the mould Chris showed how to join the neck and heel blocks to the freshly bent sides. Then, to work on the back. Braces were shaped at a frustratingly slow pace as I began to learn the Thomas Lloyd way.

Patience was the lesson of the day and one that I would come to know fatefully well in the weeks to come. After fitting the braces we fitted the back to the sides. Lo and behold, it was beginning to look like a guitar! Now for the soundboard and the precise hole cutting, followed by a rather tumultuous fitting of a badly warped rosette. A rosette that Chris chose deliberately to get the most out of the lesson. Braces were carved with the chisel and as the curls of supple timber peeled away from the chiselhead, I realised that a life long love had been remembered deep within.

We fitted the top to the back and the soundbox was nearly done. Finally, after months of agonising wait the neck was started and a billet of smooth, crimson buttery Mahogany was my lump of clay. Handsawing the headpiece joint at the precise angle was a milestone and Mr. Wynne ensured it all ran well.

After finishing the neck blank, my first taste of Macassar Ebony showed itself and I took on another expensive addiction. I thought records could chew up your paycheck quickly but this stuff was gold. Swirls of light, milky, chocolate brown swam in a sea of dark ebony and the contrasting textures are amazing.

The custom made fretcutter made a tricky job easily accurate and into the dovetail, another milestone on the road to string instrument heaven. Clicked the neck into the body and she was beginning to look like a sexy guitar. Set the neck and fretboard, carved the from the smoothest, creamy mahogany and then tackled the cap, made from the same black ebony as the ‘butterfly bridge’. A tricky job but the assistance of Chris gave many hands light work and after weeks of worry, she was a setup job away from deflowering.

Setting her up, I reflected on the journey. From the newspaper ad to now. Not a journey, an evolution of consciousness and understanding at a cellular level. Strumming her for the first time was like watching a homebirth. Breathing life into something that was once innate. She cried a little, whimpered and has been singing sweetly since as her voice becomes more of its own.

And so began my Australian Tonewood habit. Now instead of going down to the pub, I’ll go to the hardware. Instead of record shopping its making a mess on the coffee table. And if I can pull myself together long enough to get the sawdust out of my eyes it’s a trip out to Eltham to catch up with Chris and enjoy a Tim Tam, a quiet chat at T.L.G.

Theres a fretless bass on the shelf and a trip to Italy awaiting.

Thanks mate, you rock.

Will Hancock - Student 2007