Day 0 . . .

Lloyd Luthier TLG . . .

This blog sets out to tell the story of two blokes building guitars at Thomas Lloyd Guitars in Melbourne, Australia.  More precisely, we will be attending six days a week for the next two weeks Chris Wynne’s workshop at the beautiful Montsalvat, an artist colony built in 1934 in Eltham (about 25km to the north-east of Melbourne).  Our first day will have us arriving at the workshop at around 9:30 – 10:00am – which will in fact be quite late given most other days will start much earlier.

Montsalvat

Context . . .

There is quite a back-story associated with these builds – and a good dosage of random chance and serendipity.  In summary, we (Fil and I) had met at another guitar building course in Lewes, England, which was run by Richard Osborne.  That entire story can be seen at www.lewesluthier.blogspot.com, which summarises the adventures of two English blokes, Fil Samuels and Patrick Davies, and one crass Antipodean ‘colonial’, Neil Perry (me), making our instruments.  We all had such a good time that not only did firm friendships result, some of us have made numerous visits to each other’s homes in different corners of the world.

And the Thomas Lloyd Guitars workshop also has another twist in our lives.  Separately, Fil and I had both mulled over doing the course several years ago – Fil in Italy and me in Oz.  For some reason we both chose to do Richard Osborne’s course in the UK instead . . . and I for one am delighted that we did because of the friendship that ensured between us and our partners.

Getting Here . . .

The last time we did this, I was the one traipsing to the other side of the earth and wondering how it would all work.  It was now Fil’s turn to teleport himself and Suzi to the remnants of Gondwanaland.  As comfortable as it is sitting in biz sipping champagne, eating caviar and enjoying fine movies (but don’t tell any of his socialist mates!), shifting yourself half way around the world in about the same time it takes for the world to turn on its axis is pretty brutal on the body and the brain.

Fil and Suzi arrived early on Friday 6^th January – and we managed to keep them awake all day with food, some alcohol, visiting an interesting John Olsen art exhibition and then a drive to the nearby touristic waterfront spot of Williamstown.  We also had explosions, sugar and dancing girls in reserve!  Encouraged by our success, the next day we bundled them in to the car and headed out to the Yarra Valley to the interesting Yering Station winery (more alcohol!), a really interesting Bronwyn Oliver sculpture exhibition at Tarrawarra and a tour of the Domaine Chandon winery where champagne (although we can’t use that word) is made.  So that is how we had kept them awake for two days!

Cute place . . . and good wine!

Now that's a bottle of wine!

Normal Transmission Resumes . . . 

Today Fil and Suzi moved into their own flat in the city.  This was after they had made some essential purchases – like $13.00 for 200g of cheese.  You were robbed!.  Domestics aside, Fil and I resumed our normal slightly eccentric interest of looking at guitar shops.  We did make a brief visit to a big commercial shop in the city (Allans) yesterday, but we were singularly unimpressed with everything we saw.  Today’s target, the Music Swap Shop in Carlton, needs to be seen to be believed.  They must have about 500 electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers, keyboards and boxes of all sizes, makes, shapes, colours and configurations.  And they are all cramped into an impossibly small space that it is hard to see one from the other.

We also did some normal things like have lunch and a beer in the evening – but it seems as if we are off to a good start!

Like a pig in sh1t!

Which guitar and amp combination?

Can't see any Filbert here

About half of one room - and there were four others!

How lucky am I . . .

I was more than a tad surprised to see Fil arrive at our front doorstep with a guitar in hand.  I didn’t know he was that addicted to plucking and perhaps he had forgotten about my wonderful collection of guitars here ‘down under’ that he is welcome to use?  It transpired that I am the proud recipient of Filibert #12 guitar that he made a couple of years ago.  It is a beautiful instrument made from mahogany back, sides, neck and bridge.  

Fil is the only one of our Lewes mob who has gone on to serious guitar and other stringed instrument production.  And as he says, all his guitars are an experiment . . . this one has narrow and thin neck and was finished with a paint-on nitrocellulose lacquer, sanded back and then waxed.  We put new strings on the Filibert and my Martin OM21 (that I am lending him for his time in Oz) and it is no surprise that the former sounds much better – there was no argument from Lorraine or Suzi.  

So I am delighted to be its custodian for the next while in the life of this instrument.  Thanks mate!

Filbert #12 . . . true collectors' item!

Stealth Man is Still Welcome . . . 

This has been said before in a private email . . . but Patrick, the third member of our Lewes team, is more than welcome to join us here in Melbourne.  In Lewes he earned the name ‘stealth man’ given he was the quiet achiever and not messing around like Fil and me!  I reckon he could leave the UK tonight, arrive in Oz mid-week and still complete his instrument before us both on Saturday week!  I’ll leave my bag on the adjacent bench just in case Patrick!
 

Come and join the fun!

Tomorrow . . .

Over the last couple of days we’ve had endless conversations about Oz tone woods, kerfing, binding, bridges, truss rods and whatnot.  We’re still both to be convinced that a guitar can be built in two weeks  . . . so tomorrow we stop talking about it, start the real work and find out!!