Linings are the strips of wood re-inforcing joins between sides and top and sides and back. Linings are usually kerfed (partially cut through at regular frequent intervals) to make them easy to bend.

I don’t love kerfed linings. All those cuts can hold glue that can’t be cleaned out, and also allow glue from fixing the bindings to run into the guitar. So I use solid unkerfed linings, which must be bent beforehand to the same curve as the sides.

Here are the top linings held in place with strong spring clamps while the glue dries. The body is held in the mould which in turn is held by my gun-makers vise.

This vise holds firmly in all positions, can be revolved in two planes and moved closer to or further from the bench. The most versatile vise I’ve come across, I obtained it from Dan Erlewine many years ago.

Below: cittern linings glued and clamped.
Right: the top linings are glued and sanded, and the side re-inforcements (really to stop damage spreading around the sides) are being glued in place. The top linings will be sanded smooth to receive the soundboard.

This has been the coldest winter we’ve had in the UK for many years. Fortunately, much of it has also been bright and clear.

This afternoon was so lovely I took a couple of hours out of the workshop and walked above Devilswater with dog and camera.

Coming back home, what looked almost like a fire was actually the sun so low as to reflect off the underside of clouds on the horizon.

This was taken around 3.30pm.

Guitar and cittern braces should be stiff and light. I don’t use sitka spruce for soundboards, but this close-grained sitka is perfect for braces.

Here it is in rough pieces as collected from Roger Bucknall of Fylde guitars. Roger went through huge hassle to source it and get it into Britain and was generous enough to pass some on to me.

First I split it with a froe, a handle on a blade that you hit on the back with a big hammer. This means the wood splits absolutely along the grain, without the grain run-out you can get sawing wood.


Then I cut it oversize on either table saw or band saw, making sure to cut along the visible grain. Now I know there is no grain run-out in either sideways or up and downwards.

Finally I stack it in the warmest shelf in shop to dry thoroughly. When the time comes to use it, I will thickness it to exact size.
Behind it you can just see the tacky table-tennis trophys Liz refuses to have in the house.

New website

This website has the same basic format as before but I can now modify pages and upload news items myself. So I no longer need to hassle Jason to do this for me.

His patience in showing me the limited computer skills required is much appreciated.

Some of the pages have been updated and revised; I intend to go over the remaining pages over the next few weeks. And I expect to post news items more frequently.

Here I am doing preliminary carving on a cittern soundboard.

Mandolin family instrument builds

After too long building only guitars, I am now building mandolin family instruments again. While I still am not accepting new mandolin family orders, I hope to do so soon when I have made inroads into my order book.

My apologies to those who have been waiting an unexpectedly long time; thank you for your patience.

November 2008

Signature Model guitars

‘Guitar and Bass is a UK monthly magazine. In the December issue is a list of their top 50 signature guitars (both electric and acoustic), described by them as the best of all time. My Martin Simpson Signature Model comes in at number 32. It’s one of only two guitars listed that isn’t produced by the big guitar factories.

9 September 2008

Following my talk to the Whitley Chapel WI earlier this year, I’ve agreed to give an expanded version as a public talk in aid of the local Parish Hall. The hall is a most worthwhile cause, very well used and the hub of the local community. It’s particularly in need of funds because extensive (and expensive) improvements are now in progress.

I’ve called my talk ‘The Art and Craft of Guitar Building’. In it I’ll be talking about the processes involved in guitar building, how I quite accidentally became an instrument maker, and some of the difficulties and setbacks I encountered.

As well as pictures of myself with early instruments (and hair) I’ll be showing slides of various construction stages. I’ll also bring a completed guitar together with examples of work in progress to show and discuss. And of course I’ll be taking questions at the end of the talk.

And I plan to have snippets of recorded music as musical illustrations.

The talk takes place on Saturday 4th October at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £12.50 (£5.00 under 16). Wine and fruit juice will be on sale; a snack and a glass of wine or juice is included in the ticket price.

While this is just possibly more likely to attract local rather than national or international interest, all are welcome. To be sure of a place, you can book ahead by calling:

Kate Clarkson on 01434 673946. Tickets will also be on sale at the door.

Whitley Chapel parish hall is a few yards from Whitley Chapel crossroads. The address is:

Whitley Chapel Parish Hall
Whitley Chapel
Hexham, Northumberland NE47 0HB

All proceeds in aid of Whitley Chapel parish hall.

7 April 2008

MS prototype

I’m putting the finishing touches to my latest prototype instrument, a Martin Simpson model with several experimental features.

It has an Adirondack soundboard, modified soundboard bracing, African Blackwood back and sides, and a Madagascan rosewood neck.

My usual policy is to introduce only one change at a time, giving me a good idea as to the effect it has on the sound. Introducing so many means it will be harder to say which of the changes makes a particular difference. But on this occasion, enthusiasm overcame logic.

I have admittedly built all these features into previous guitars, but mostly only once. And conclusions drawn from a sample of one are unreliable.

I should have an idea of how this guitar will sound in a couple of weeks.

5 April 2008

David Wilson has been lacquering my instruments for around 25 years. If lacquering is a black art, David is the magician.

With increasing environmental and health awareness, lacquer has changed over the years and application techniques have had to keep up. Instrument finishing being such a specialist branch, lacquer manufacturers aren’t much help; finishers have to work out the new techniques for themselves. David excels here, mostly because he cares so much about his results.

The latest change to the lacquer was the most dramatic, when mid way through 2006 all lacquer became 2007 compliant. The new lacquer is acid catalyst melamine as before, but is much more environmentally friendly. Simply sprayed onto furniture it can probably be used in the same way as earlier lacquer; sprayed onto guitars, flatted and burnished, it behaves very differently.

Because his existing system gave rise to all sorts of problems, David spent long and frustrating hours sorting new techniques and methods. I can vouch for this, we had frequent long phone discussions about air bubbles, lacquer pitting, lacquer not drying, not hardening, generally just not behaving itself. Not that I had much to contribute, I was mostly the sounding board for David’s ideas.

Finishing instruments is still tricky, still requires absolute concentration and care, but the heartening end to the 2007 compliant lacquer saga is that David is now getting better results than ever before.

It’s a credit to his expertise, patience and determination.

David finishes and re-finishes other instruments too. His reputation is such that those wanting the best work sometimes travel hundreds of miles to reach him.

A bass player himself, he also builds electric basses. As with all his work, these are works of art, absolute perfection.

David can be reached on +44 (0) 7951 710626

1 April 2008

One difference between the old and new lacquers is that the new 2007 compliant lacquer is less tolerant of the lemon oil I used on fingerboards for many years (see my news item 11 July 2006). If overspill isn’t quickly wiped off the new lacquer, it can mark it permanently.

I’ve been looking for a suitable replacement ever since, trying various nut and vegetable oils. Fingerboard oil should ideally waterproof the fretboard without completely permeating it, should leave a pleasant matt gloss, and should not damage lacquer at all.

I’ve recently come across ‘Squirroil’, an exotic (and unfortunately expensive) oil which fits the bill perfectly. Made from the scent glands of grey squirrels, it is both inert and completely non toxic. It is also environmentally friendly in that it is a completely recycled product; grey squirrel carcases (culled because of their threat to native UK red squirrels) would otherwise be incinerated.

Squirroil is available from www.verminproducts.com/squirroil4uin 5oz and 20 oz bottles. It can also be obtained from Martin Simpson’s product range at www.martinsimpson.com.