Makers from 2009

The exhibitors from 2009

Barry Kerr has been building archtop and flatop steel string guitars for more than 20 yrs now. Using both traditional and native woods Barry focuses on just a handful of instruments each year. A high point was in 2003 as an exhibitor at the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, California USA. A steady flow of Barry's favourite - OM models are now sold into the United States but occasionally there are instruments available locally. www.woodtoneguitars.com.au

20" Archtop- Designed by Peter Foster. Built by Barry Kerr of Woodtone Guitars.

Model- 42nd St. Woods: Master Adirondack Spruce carved top. Solid carved Brazilian Rosewood Back, Sides and Fittings. Acacia Binding

Click on picture to enlarge

Phil Carson Crickmore

Phil put together a small workshop in 1980 in Warrandyte Victoria and started to build his first
guitars and under the mentorship of Master Violin and Cello maker
Warren Fordam, Carson Crickmore was introduced to the world of stringed instrument making, at his workshops in Monsalvat Eltham Victoria.Over the next few years Carson Crickmore continued to build a small
number of guitars and continued his professional development.
In 1984 Carson Crickmore was accepted in to the State Craft Centre in
North Melbourne Victoria and for the next two years Carson Crickmore
produced a large number of individually designed hand built guitars
which were sold through his workshops and through retail.

Ian Noyce has been building stringed instruments in Australia since 1975 and

has developed an extensive catalogue comprising acoustics, electrics,

basses, mandolins, lap steels and resonators. Based in Ballarat, Victoria,

Ian has always been more interested in the future of the guitar than it's

past. He has consistently sought to produce a "best of all possible worlds"

instrument that has "top end in the low strings and low end in the high

strings - get this and you've got everything!"

After 30 years of manufacturing musical instruments Ian has refined his

designs utilising carefully selected timbers and hardware combined with

state of the art assembly and quality assurance. The result is a

distinctively Australian instrument range that is bold in design with

astonishing dynamic range and responsiveness

www.noyceguitars.com

David Churchill

David Churchill is one of Australia's leading steel string flat top guitar makers, established over 30 years.

All guitars are hand built by David Churchill, using only aged timbers and specializing in cedar tops with Indian rosewood back and sides.

Used and played by some of Australia's finest musicians such as Jeff Lang, Darren Jack, David Ross Macdonald (Waifs), Hat Fitz, Adam Hole, Matt Fagan, Ray Beadle, Don Neander, Shannon Bourne.

Tim Kill

is based in Cockatoo in the foothills of the Dandenong mountains in Victoria, Australia. There he hand crafts a diverse range of custom stringed instrument for both the professional and amateur musician ....

Tim specialises in one off custom designs .He works closely with customers to conceive and create a unique instrument ideally suited to there physically, ascetically and musically needs.

Using both tradition and modern inspired techniques that reflect his own personal experiences

Tim creates an lyrical and responsive instrument that embodies the highest level

of artistry and craftsmanship.

James Cargill

James has been in the business now for nineteen years and has produced some of the countries finest instruments for our top musicians including Tommy Emmanuel, Jimi Hocking, Bo Jenkins, Jack Jones and many more.
James's instruments have a vibrant, stunning sound, are wonderful to play and a vision to look at.

David Worthy

David Worthy is based in Melbourne Australia and has been building instruments consistently since 1996. His guitars have largely found favour amongst fingerstyle players. Worthy Guitar owners include Angela Toohey, Rod Vervest and Billy Thorpe.

Joe Gallacher

Born in Scotland, I moved to Australia in 1989 and have been building guitars, mandolins and Irish bouzoukis ever since.

The guitars I build are definitely influenced by some really nice old guitars I have played both in Australia and in Scotland, but I have a few of my own designs that I am very happy with. I tend to go for less than more in ornamentation and enjoy the look of the wood on the bindings. I tend not to use plastic in the bindings, nut, saddle or glue.

We are very lucky in Australia to have a wealth of fantastic looking and sounding timbers and have been enjoying using these over the years, Australian Blackwood in particular (acacia melanoxylon) very close relative to Koa (acacia koa). I also use Mahogany and Rosewood, mainly for backs and sides, European, Adirondack and Sitka Spruce, mostly for tops with occasional Mahogany, Blackwood and Cedar. These are the combinations of timbers that tend to work for me, giving me the volume, balance and lovely colour of tone that I think about when I hear a good guitar.

www.gallacherguitars.com

Ian Watchorn

Ian Watchorn began his professional career as a maker & repairer of instruments in Sydney, Australia in 1976, moving to Canberra in 1979.
1982 received grants from Australia Council and NSW Premiers Department to study musical instrument conservation at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg, Germany under Friedemann Hellwig and John Henry van der Meer.

1984 accepted the post of conservator at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, and was later acting senior conservator there before returning to Australia in 1987.
1987 - 1990 worked on the conservation and collection development for the musical instrument collection at the Power House Museum, Sydney, and later as curator of the same collection.
1990 - present working privately as maker, conservator & consultant in Melbourne, Australia.

Ian Watchorn

Matheas Guitars

www.matheasguitars.com.au

Jim Matheas

As a luthier I place great importance in making the most responsive guitars for musicians.

My instruments are light weight with a clear and balanced tone, long sustain, accurate intonation and are finally setup to suit the individuals playing style.

There is a delicate balance in achieving this.

My guitars qualities have been shaped by the invaluable expertise gained through repairing existing instruments and the fine tuning of musicians sound.

I have been operating from my workshop in Fitzroy, Melbourne since 1995 and everyday love to work creating beautiful sounding guitars.

There will be two sample Matheas acoustic guitars on exhibition and a good opportunity to hear the qualities in tone that are possible.

D style acoustic with Cutaway

Made from master grade Brazilian rosewood back and sides
Master grade Sitka spruce soundboard
Mahogany Neck
Ebony Fretboard

Jumbo Style Acoustic

Back and sides are made from over 100 year old recycled African mahogany
Sitka spruce
Mahogany neck
Ebony fretboard

James Kieth,

One of the countries great classical makers of many years Standing .

James is based in Sunbury and makes exceptionally fine instruments in the traditional and more contemporary style

Contact James

Peter Daffy

Pictures and info coming soon

contact Peter

Sachar Amos

Contact Sachar

Sachar Amos is a maker and restorer of stringed musical instruments. Sachar began his career in 1994 in the violin making workshop of John D Ferwerda and later studied stringed instrument making with Paul Doyle in Galway, Ireland.

Since returning to Australia in 1999, Sachar has worked with some of Melbournes finest stringed instrument makers and has established a professional workshop from his home in The Basin.

Dan Robinson

Pictures and info coming soon. Contact Dan

Jack Spira

Trained in London in the late 1980's, Jack Spira has been working in Australia since 1991 and in the Melbourne area since 1999.

Due to the customised nature of his work, he makes a wide variety of instruments, many of them one off pieces.

They are predominantly flat topped steel string guitars, octave mandolins and the occasional mandolin.

www.jackspiraguitars.com