30 year old Soundboard for the 30th anniversary guitar?
It is amazing I still have this guitar top considering how many times I’ve moved workshop and country. But I do. When I worked as an apprentice for Stefan Sobell in the late 80’s I completed one guitar for myself, but I also started another. And didn’t finish it. The one that got finished was […]
Workshop burglary update
A bit less than a year ago my workshop was broken into. And 8 months worth of work was stolen. To date, only one instrument has been found. Today I got word that the person responsible for breaking into the workshop was found guilty and sentenced to 44 months in prison. The criminal is called […]
The best sounding acoustic guitar I’ve ever made –
Is this the best sounding acoustic guitar I’ve ever made? I think so… Earlier this year I made a guitar for Tom Fletcher. Tom wanted a Model D. For playing DADGAD. That’s all he knew. He wasn’t sure about the woods, or the scale or the top design he wanted. So he left the […]
A batch of Session King ukes (updated 7/1/19)
Will this be the loudest ukulele in the world? Those of you who subscribe to the newsletter had the opportunity recently to order a Session King uke. How come I’m making ukes? Well, following our recent move to Australia, I’m still waiting for most of my tools, molds and machines to arrive from the UK. And […]
G’day mate!
Well, it’s been quite a year – we left Germany last Christmas, traveled to Thailand, India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and back to Germany. Then we spent a fair bit of time in England so I could finish off a load of guitars. Then they all got nicked. Oh well. Then we went to Europe to […]
Stolen guitars update
Well, it’s bee a couple of months since the Hexham workshop was broken into. Thanks for all your kind emails. There has been a little bit of progress – one instrument turned up. It turned up at Cash Converters in Jarrow. Someone bought it from there for £40! They weren’t sure how to string it up […]
Reward for stolen guitars
A reward for stolen instruments There is a good chance whoever stole these instrument from the Hexham workshop will be wondering how on earth they are going to move them on for anything like what they are worth. So, I’d like to offer a reward for their safe return. How much depends on what […]
NK Forster Hexham workshop robbed – guitars stolen!
Well, today I actually planned to send out a newsletter to tempt you all with a mandola that was made for a chap in the USA. Sadly, due to financial problems, the chap had to cancel his order. About an hour after I wrote the newsletter, I received a phone call from my pal Ralph […]
The guitar bouzouki: everything you need to know (updated 2018)
The guitar bouzouki: everything you need to know (updated 2018) Is it a guitar? Is it a bouzouki? No. It’s a guitar-bouzouki. Or a bouzouki guitar. Or a guzouki….It is said that there are no new ideas, only old ideas cobbled together. And there’s a fair amount of truth in that…the guitar bouzouki being […]
Handmade acoustic guitars – is cedar & mahogany the perfect combination?
Handmade acoustic guitars – is cedar and mahogany the perfect combination? Well, is what is it about a handmade acoustic guitar with a cedar top and a mahogany back and sides? Why does that combination sound so special? For some, it’s the perfect tonewood combination regardless of who makes the guitar. Is it the woods? […]