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Acoustic Magazine Presents – The Book of British Guitar Makers
The essential guide to bespoke acoustic luthiery in the UK (Foreword by Newton Faulkner)
Featuring Bailey Guitars!
We are very pleased to be in the book (the first of it’s kind) along with all the best makers in the UK and really chuffed to bits that my old boss Patrick Eggle takes the cover – fair play to him he deserves it – I know for a fact that he not only makes wonderful guitars but is a good bloke too. For those of you that do not know – it is thanks to Patrick that I got such a good start in the world of guitar making – and it goes to prove that I had a good teacher!
Here is a sneaky preview of the cover
The Book of British Guitar Making – Featuring Bailey Guitars – (and others!)
In this essential guide to British guitar making, Acoustic magazine discusses the importance of custom guitar building and profiles the 25 most influential guitars makers from the United Kingdom. This is a one-stop-shop for guitar aficionados interested in commissioning a custom acoustic guitar, makers looking to learn from the best in the business, and everyone else who loves the wonderful world of exquisite luthiery. As well as interviews with the guitar makers who have shaped the industry, Newton Faulkner tells us why keeping the custom build scene alive is so important, and we tell you everything you need to know about body shapes, wood choices, and strings. The Acoustic Magazine Book of British Guitar Making is a must for lovers of quality instruments and for those who aspire to own custom built guitars. It is available to purchase in print and digital formats.
Call 01926 339808 or order your copy today for just £7.99 plus p&p
Build Your Own Custom Guitar – Aug 2014
Ever wanted to design and build your own guitar completely from scratch?
For the next 8 days we will be making sawdust and mayhem in the workshop. Check back here to see how we are getting on!
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- Day 1: Tom 6 string bolt on
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- Bonno 6 string bolt on
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- John G – thru neck bass
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- John B – continuing classical
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- L-r: John Graham, John Boyle, Tom and Bono
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- Tom’s First Job
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- Cutting out the neck
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- John’s neck is rough cut
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- Tommy starts his birthday acoustic
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- Classical style construction
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- Neck and Neck
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- Guess my next job?
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- Fretting
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- Router Mayhem…
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- Soundboard ready for bracing
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- Ready for finishing…
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- After a lot of sanding
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- Final Assembly and setup
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- First play!
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- Top Job!
Day 1 – 11:00am start
It is now 10:20 and I am busy making final preparations and waiting for the students to arrive. I will post a pic when we have selected the wood.
Most of Day 1 is taken up with the design process. We start with blank sheets of paper and by the end we have a working drawing from which we can build the guitar….we also chose all the individual pieces of wood for each instrument so on day 2 we can get a flying start and make some sawdust!
Tom is making a hollow body single cut with two F-holes, and Bonno a rock monster with Swamp Ash body and Bolt on Neck – These two are here to complete their build from blanks of wood to the finished article on Saturday.
John Graham is making a thru neck four string bass for a friend but could only make a couple of days so he won’t finish this time. Also John Boyle is continuing his classical build and Tommy joined us to start his acoustic.
Glad we got that sorted out….
If you are interested in designing you own guitar – check out my new online course
Day 2 to 8 – Mayhem ensues…
I cannot remember exactly what happened on what day but somehow we got through it once again – and we all had the same amount of fingers at the end that we started with – I know because I counted.
It is never easy doing this but the end results are always worth it – you, dear reader will have to wait to see pics of the finished guitars – I have work to do! Will post ASAP…
Super Full Moon(shiner)
Moon Madness
Last weekend there was a beautiful big moon lighting the Ayrshire sky – a perigean full moon – and it was bright enough to stop us in our tracks when we caught sight of it over the trees, before the sunset…
In Canterbury, under the same bright light, a young man waited patiently for a beautiful Moon(shiner) of his own – after scouring the internet for THE guitar… narrowing down the best options… comparing a world of acoustics to choose the one that would take him into his next year of study and beyond… and finally settling on one of our new standard Bailey Models… The MOONSHINER… on special introductory offer through the on-line shop…
We are very happy that James chose to join the Bailey clan – within no time he had posted a beautiful video of himself playing … and nothing cheers Mark up more than hearing one of his babies singing!
James Thompson plays his Bailey Moonshiner Acoustic Guitar
Thanks James!
The video speaks for itself, but here’s a few words from the happy owner:
“Moonshiner and Fishman pickup – Fantastic guitar
I bought this guitar, and having arrived today I can say that it is the best guitar that I have played. I have never heard such a beautiful tone from a guitar, plugged and unplugged. Both Mark and Carol were extremely helpful as well, ensuring that I received the guitar in a quick and efficient way, with the extras (pickup and case) included too. All in all, a brilliant guitar for the price, and I will definitely recommend to anyone.
The guitar itself is fantastic, I haven’t put it down since I’ve received it. Such a beautiful sound and it feels so comfortable, great!” – James Thompson
We’ll see you on the dark side of the moon?
Web research is bringing more and more players from all over the world, to the dark side of the guitar buying moon – Bailey guitars are designed by us, made here by us in Scotland using quality materials, native, FSC, fairly traded and reclaimed woods where possible, and all in our solar, wind and renewable powered workshop…they look great, play really well and sound awesome… and compared to a factory guitar at the same price…. well….we think there is no comparison… our guitars were really made to be played.
Bring me Moonshine
If you have a bank card, a couple of clicks is all that stands between you and the guitar of your moonlit dreams (which is “insured” couriered out asap) – if you prefer internet bank transfer, that adds only a day … if you don’t have all the cash now…we are happy to be paid installments over any period of time.
Preston Reed Delayed Train
From the album “In Here Out There”
Preston plays Delayed Train from his new album on his Signature Jumbo guitar – filmed in Loch Lomond Scotland by Dave Arcari.
Design Your Own Guitar for Schools
Bailey Online Courses at Udemy
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- Working on the design
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- A working drawing
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- Checking the layout
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- Ready to build!
A Start:
When I was 13 or 14 I asked my woodwork teacher if I could make a guitar…he said no because it was just too difficult. It took a few years…and I did finally get my wish but I was lucky…a professional guitar builder (his name is Patrick Eggle) opened a small factory in my town and I (it’s a long story) managed to convince them to let me in. My first task was sweeping the floor which I did super fast so they would have to give me another job! I learned from some of the best and feel blessed to have had such a rich experience at such a young age. Now I have spent the last 16 years successfully teaching others how to build their first (and 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th, and more!)….including two schools! I guess the teacher is not always right…just saying…it’s a start.
Design Your Own Guitar by Mark Bailey
Design your own guitar is a well structured, step by step video course. It will guide you through the whole process of designing your own custom guitar and making a working drawing. This could be used to actually build a guitar, or commission somebody to make for you, or just to put on the wall for you and all your friends to admire.
The course is based online at Udemy and once you are in you will have LIFETIME access to the course – so you can use it over and over again.
In Your School?
We think this would make a fantastic school project so have decided to offer an educational discount:
Let’s Do It!
Tell your teacher! He or she may find it difficult to operate the computer so you might have to assist…tell them it will help your future prospects…they will believe you…if you need it Carol will write you a letter of permission – ask them to email her here for educational discount: carol@baileyguitars.co.uk
Build Your Own Guitar – Coming this Autumn:
One thing they taught me at the factory was if you want to be a guitar maker you’ve got to make some guitars! I have a passion and a talent for enabling people to do this – I believe (with a little help) anyone can do it. It is just a case of knowing what to do, what order to it in, and when to stop.
For anyone interested in guitar making I believe this is the best possible introduction to the field…short of actually training in a guitar workshop.
Too Difficult?
If there are any teachers out there still telling kids that something is too difficult for them please show them this page (put your hand over this bit). If they are still not convinced – tell them to contact me for re-training or retire.
“It’s not too difficult…” – Mark Bailey
Here is what some of our students think:
5/5 – Full of very useful information, and presented in a very clear and easy to understand format. Most importantly, the course works. By following each step I managed to produce an accurate and detailed working drawing, WAY beyond what I could have managed before doing the course. Being able to watch each section as many times as I want means I can learn and refine the skills involved too. I can’t recommend this course highly enough. – Peter
5/5 – A fantastic course. Mark gives clear and concise lectures in a style that inspires confidence and calmness in the work you do. The course is very well supported with accompaniment material and useful conversation between Mark and the students that is increasing weekly. Can’t recommend it enough as a great way to start doing such a special thing – Nelson
5/5 – This course explains how to design the guitar, from the absolute basics all the way through to the complete design (or plan) for the guitar that you want to build.
Mark’s style is natural, with everything clearly explained, supported with good close up video work too. I’ve read a few guitar-design books through the years, but find the video presentation much more practical and easy to follow. A total beginner, with no knowledge of guitar design or building, would be able to draw a proper, workable design, and I’m hoping the next courses will show how to turn that into a proper playable guitar. Great work Mark … – Tony
5/5 – A very good course for anyone who want to design (and maybe build) their own guitar. In this course Mark Bailey takes you through the process of designing a guitar. Step by step, the process is explained in detail. All aspects of the various components are covered in this course. Each step is explained and everything is shown clearly. It is obvious that Mark Bailey is a very experienced luthier who knows all the ins and outs, all the do’s and don’ts of guitar building. I have learned a lot from this course and enjoyed every minute of it. Although English is not my mother tongue, I had no trouble understanding the lectures. Would I recommend this course? Yes! It’s an absolute must for anyone interested in guitars and guitar building – Marcel Besselink
5/5 – I really liked the way you explain all the technical issues and go through the whole process. I think you managed to make very clear and as simple as possible even the very “dark mysteries” of the electric guitar. Thanks Mark! 5 stars for me! – Enrico
5/5 – Mark has managed to provide a comprehensive, well structured, clear set of instructions. Even if I had not already been through the process I think it would be clear what the process is. Brilliant job. Gold Star! Graham
5/5 – Fantastic! – William
More reviews
How to design your own guitar by Mark Bailey
The Sweet P Sessions – Melisa Kelly
Congratulations Mel!
The Fabulous Melisa Kelly has just released a mini album featuring and named after her very own Bailey Sweet P acoustic guitar. The album is available to download right now and contains six new self penned and produced tracks all written and performed on her beloved Sweet P in her own inimitable style. The album also includes Enrico of Watermelon Moon playing his new Bailey Coryphee Archtop guitar, and backing vocals from the lovely Wendy Rae (the other half of WM).
This is real singer-songwriting in action – Melisa left school at 16 and had no idea that within 10 years she would be writing and singing professionally, or that in her mid twenties she would go to college to study for a degree in what she does best. She enrolled at the Academy of Music and Sound (AMS) and is really enthusiastic about the whole learning experience – it covers every aspect of being a professional musician-but it’s not for the uncommitted both in terms of time and creative energy.
This latest album is her most involved to date…and created as part of her course project at the AMS’ own studio. Its a great piece of work, and as usual, the original songs and Melisa’s ear grabbing voice get you…
10/10 Melisa…A Plus and a Gold Star from us.
Can’t wait for the next one 🙂
Build Your Own Guitar – BYOG 343 – David Pullar
Made in 7.5 days on our Build Your Own Custom Guitar Course.
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- Custom Body Shape with Scroll
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- Mahogany body with Cedrella neck
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- Spalted Beech cap with burst
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- Set Neck Contruction
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- Scroll with fake binding
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- Tunamatic bridge with string thru body
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- Custom Headstock
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- Gold hardware
Scroll On…
We first met David nearly 14 years ago (so Carol tells me) and before we even thought of moving to Ayrshire. Like some of our early customers, he came to meet us at our 30 foot live-in big bus with his student pals in a car park in Dundee. University Degrees, work and life overtook them all and Dave finally booked his CBYO custom course in 2013, so he had a lot of time to think about what he wanted to make – this spectacular beastie is what he came up with.
He is a big guy, and had some specific ideas about features he wanted to incorporate – and as the custom course starts with full scale drawing exercise…these ideas were brought from his head to paper. As luck would have it he came to visit the workshop on the day a delivery of some spalted beech boards – so got first choice.
And well he did chose. The scroll and two tone headstock are standout features, both designed by David himself – with a little help from us 🙂 The Scroll is not easy to carve, especially in spalted wood, and even harder to spray especially with the fake binding! The two tone headstock is a first on the course on our course – Nice work Billy and David – Not bad for a first guitar…
Worth the wait?
“13 years of waiting but more than worth it for the end result. Truly an experience I will never forget. Thank you so much” – David Pullar
David kindly brought his guitar (and some lovely Scottish wine and whiskey…thanks Dave!) to the Bailey Tent at the live@troon festival last September, causing a bit of a stir among the visitors… he spent several hours talking to tent goers about his design …and the headstock inspired Iona to think up her own split headstock design (BYO 344) on her 21st birthday carve top treat.
The thing is…it’s not difficult to talk to strangers for hours about something you thought about, designed and built yourself from scratch… in fact the real problem (as any Bailey builder and their families will tell you) is not talking about it!
What would you make?
Now you can work on real designs and ideas from the comfort of your own home will our NEW on-line Design Course!
Our First Self Tuning Guitar – with Acoustic Simulator and MIDI
This Guitar was custom made for Mark Screeton and just finished last week. He came to collect it and brought the most amazing rig into the workshop to test it out. I did shoot a little video of the guitar in action which still needs a little editing but I will publish it here when it is ready – until then here are some photo’s of the finished instrument.
Update!
Here is the video of the guitar in action as promised!
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- Is is a bird? Is it a plane?
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- Mark Screeton’s 2nd Custom
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- Quilted maple cap
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- Alder body wings
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- Thru neck construction
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- Headstock matches the cap
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- Tronical tuners
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- The controls
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- H/S/H pickup configuration
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- two output jack sockets
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- Mark Screeton
Its an electric Guitar…
The guitar has 3 ‘normal’ magnetic pickups in H/S/H configuration with a 5-way selector switch, Rothwell ACT tone circuit and master volume.
Its an acoustic guitar…
There are six piezo pickups (one for each string) built into the bridge, which do a pretty amazing job of simulating an acoustic guitar. We are using the Ghost system with acoustiphonic preamp with the additional volume control for the acoustic sound which has a push/pull built in to activate a ‘dark’ tone.
Its a MIDI guitar…
In addition to this there is another circuit called the ‘hexaphonic’ system which enables the guitar to become a MIDI controller. There is an a volume for the MIDI and two mini switches allow Mark to flick up and down through the different sounds on his pedal board and select either piezo, MIDI, or both outputs through the MIDI jack socket. Got all that? Good…
Its a self tuning guitar – the tuners…It tunes itself for god’s sake!
Furnished with ‘Tronical’ tuners…there is one thing this guitar cannot do and that is play itself…but I think that is probably just as well
Enough…
Amazed? Don’t be…it’s just another day in the Bailey workshop turning your dreams into reality…ho hum. I think I might have the best job in the world!