Blog
The Last Viking
There’s buried treasure in this video – You’ll be surprised what you can dig up in Ayrshire!
Totally blown away by the latest Preston Reed video – I think the Bailey supporters out there will enjoy this one…please share and leave a comment!
“The Last Viking” composed and performed by Preston Reed. From his album In Here Out There (Outer Bridge Records).
Available at www.prestonreed.com
Film by Alan McMaster alan@mcmastermedia.com
Preston Reed Signature Baritone Guitar by mark@baileyguitars.co.uk
The View from the Workshop – April 2016
The View from the Workshop – April 2016
A BIG announcement and more mayhem from Bailey World…
Build Your Own Guitar ONLINE – Review
Can an online guitar making course really work?
James signed up in February and has just completed his first ever guitar build – physical proof that indeed it can!
Here is what James said after finishing the course:
Having never before used either a bandsaw or router and never having dreamed of carving anything from wood I have just produced a guitar that not only looks and feels like a quality instrument – it sounds amazing too!
I have dabbled with a kit guitar before which I stripped and used for firewood soon after finishing it such was my success but have always wanted to build a guitar from scratch. I’ve bought several books and scoured the internet over the years but never been confident enough to give it a go. I found Mark’s online course and am so glad I did.
This is definitely not just a collection of cheaply filmed YouTube videos but more than 70 professionally filmed and edited lessons teaching the process from start to finish in bite sized chunks. Mark shows how he makes a guitar in real time and talks you through the steps in his calm likeable manner. Some modules are quick and easy to digest but others like the neck carving lesson are much longer and more detailed. The ability to watch them several times over before cutting the wood gave me the confidence in my ability although I did practice on scrap wood for some of the more difficult techniques – and was glad I did.
The amount of information in this course is huge – as well as instructions on how to make a guitar it contains lessons on making some tools and jigs that are needed as well as tips and tricks that Mark has learned over the years that make building and setting up the guitar so effective.
Armed with this course all you need are a few tools (which I picked up cheaply second hand) a couple of bits of wood 😉 the course goes into great details about the types of woods available, and some hardware available all over the internet. After that it’s all down to you and your ability to follow instructions and take your time – I chose to follow Mark’s instructions almost to the letter as this was my first guitar. In fact the only errors I made were when I went slightly off-piste from his advice!
I can’t rate this course highly enough and you get so much value for money. Mark’s willingness to answer questions from students which he does very quickly and concisely allows for a really interactive experience and got me out of trouble on a couple of occasions.
I’m so pleased with the result that I’m already planning the next one – to my design this time – and waiting with baited breath for Mark’s build your own acoustic guitar course.You can see all comments on this post here:
https://guitarmaking.co.uk/product/build-your-own-guitar-online/#comments
The Fire & The Icicle
Sam Winston’s Debut Album – Ft. his Bailey Custom
Custom Bootlegger Acoustic Guitar!
Sam Winston – The Fire & The Icicle – cover
Don’t miss this…
It is not everyday that someone releases an album with one of my guitars on it, but this one is something altogether on another level. If you don’t love it then I will personally give you your money back (in the next life – *conditions apply see below).
Sam not only wrote a bunch of songs – but he also played and recorded 98% of the instruments at home with his Dad – including his custom Bailey acoustic. It was mixed and mastered at Abbey Road Studios – The most famous recording studio on planet earth. I cannot get enough of it myself…Sam is going places – don’t miss out on his first album!
Listen to the free track
Just give it a listen – if you don’t love it – I guarantee you will know someone who would love it as a gift! You can decide how much to pay – please be generous…I know Sam has put everything he has into this and deserves all our support.
*conditions: if you are or were or have been at any time male, female, aged 10 or under, aged 10 or over, or still living (i.e. not dead) you will not be eligible for Mark’s amazing money back offer – but buy the goddamn album anyway – you have my word – it’s absolutely outstanding!
This is the KING of EVERYTHING!
My Bailey Experience by Sam Winston
Sam Winston
Sam commissioned an acoustic guitar from me a while back and I asked him to film the unboxing – that became the first part of this video. After witnessing such obvious talent I asked him if he would mind sitting in front of a mic to say a few words about it. I mixed this with the pictures I took of the build to create this testimonial video – If you want to find out what it feels like to get a custom guitar from Bailey Guitars then I hope this conveys something of the experience.
THE FIRE & THE ICICLE…launches TODAY!
I knew he was in the midst of recording his new album but had no idea it would turn out to be this good. Recorded himself at home and mastered at Abbey Road Studios – it is a fantastic piece of work – Well done Sam !
The REAL View from the Workshop
The REAL View from the Workshop
My monthly newsletter is called the View from the Workshop – this month I wanted to show you what it really looks like.
Wood like this doesn’t grow on trees you know…
Sweet P – Pod Mahogany – Handmade by Mark Bailey.
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- Parlour size
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- Cedar of Lebanon
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- Pod Mahogany
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- Pod Mahogany
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- Sweet-P Acoustic Guitar – 12th fret body join
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- Herringbone rosette
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- Tanzanian Blackwood bridge
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- Chrome Hardware
Our Greenest Ever Guitar!
This guitar is a version of the Bailey Sweet P – in this age where traditional timbers are getting harder to find I am always looking to experiment with alternatives…when we were offered some ‘Pod Mahagany’ I was intrigued – it looks a bit similar to ‘real’ mahogany but only comes in smaller pieces so ideal for my Sweet P acoustic guitar.
Wind, Sun, Wood and Bone
For some time now all our guitars have been made using ONLY renewable energy – We have been using reclaimed and FSC approved timber since day one but this is our most green guitar to date – ALL the wood for it’s construction is either reclaimed or ethically sourced. Even the braces for this instrument were reclaimed from an old double bass soundboard!
- The neck is reclaimed from Pew wood – it’s first life was in a Glasgow church.
- Tanzanian Blackwood fretboard and bridge
- Pod Mahogany back and sides
- Cedar of Lebanon Soundboard
What does it sound like?
The sound is surprising loud and bright – The small body makes it more responsive than one of my larger acoustics – great for fingerpicking or cutting through a mix if you play with a lot of other musicians (or drummers).
This guitar is available to buy from our Bailey Shop – For more info contact us
Guitar Making Supplies
Guitar Making Supplies
Hard to find Goodies!
I have recently added some goodies to the supplies section of our GuitarMaking site – while it is not my intention to compete with other guitarmaker suppliers (most of them are my friends) I want to help my students get hold of the hard to find things they need to build the guitars on my courses.
I will only be supplying only the most essential and difficult to find items specific to my courses – If you are having trouble finding something please let me know – any suggestions are welcome!
Mahogany Body Blank
Body Blanks
These are a little more expensive than you will find elsewhere but they are the best quality, thicknessed and joined – ready to use. If you have ever tried to do this by hand then you will realise how much time this can save.
Mahogany is the easiest to work and guaranteed to sound good.
I have just obtained a limited supply of some of the best Swamp Ash I’ve ever seen – very light weight and beautiful appearance – a little harder to work than Mahogany and can be tricky to finish because the open grain structure, but if you are looking for a lighter colour look no further. Also takes a stain very well – great if you want a bright, vibrant colour.
Mahogany Neck Blank – Set Neck
Neck Blanks
Getting your neck blank flat and straight really is half the battle – ours are accurately thicknessed, sanded and ready to work on. One side is also planed so you can use it as a guide for the router when making the truss rod slot.
If you are making a bolt on style neck with a parallel headstock then you need a 1″ maple blank.
If you are making a set neck guitar then Mahogany is the recommended choice for your first build – it is easy to work, lighter and acoustically superior to Maple. Maple has the advantage of being stronger and less prone to headstock breakage.
Rosewood Fretboard
Premade Fretboards
On the course I demonstrate how to make a fretboard the hard way but I also reccommend that for your first guitar you use a premade fretboard. Choose from Rosewood or Ebony and any scale length or number of frets you like – if you have any custom requirements you can add a note at the checkout – or contact us if you have any questions.
2 way Truss Rod
Truss Rods
These Truss Rods are two way adjustable and fit into an 11m (7/16″) slot – as used on our course and in all my electric guitars. Every truss rod comes with a free truss rod fillet – just to make your life a little bit easier.
Truss Rod Slot Cutter
Truss Rod Slot Cutter
To save you from hours of searching and comparison I have tracked down the ideal cutter for installing our truss rods – Tungsten Carbide Tipped so it should last for a lot of guitar builds.