Home of Tone Blog
Meet the maker - Leila Sidi of Tunatone Instruments
If you've followed the Home of Tone for any length of time, I'm sure you'll have noticed my admiration & appreciation of luthiers who forge their own path through guitar design and their approach to building. I love seeing a luthier display influences from outside of the guitar world, and I particularly love to see a designer & builder's own personality apparent in their final works. After all, so many of those early guitar designs that have been coveted so much since their inception started this way, with perhaps Leo Fender being one of the greatest examples of this. His iconic designs originated from the mind of a non-musician, a designer and inventor who felt like he could contribute to the music world, and that he certainly did. So with that being said, we still need those people who think ahead, the people who wish to think outside of the traditional box whilst being respectful of it to help keep the guitar world exciting and innovative. Someone who has appeared to me to encapsulate that from following her work for a while now, has been Leila Sidi of Tunatone Instruments. So it seemed fitting for me to get back to my 'meet the maker' blog series by reaching out to Leila and speaking about her work!
Meet the... makers? - Chad & Devin of Jennings Guitars
Originality, and familiarity. Often something that's very hard to capture well. But it's something I've always felt Jennings Guitars have managed with their instruments. There's a real sense of familiarity with the aesthetic, they have a classic look but in no means do they replicate. They've always caught my eye for this reason, and have enjoyed following their work for some time now.
Chad Jennings reached out to me in the early parts of this year and we spoke on the phone a number of times which was great to be able to do with someone on the other side of the world. What struck me was firstly their passion for what they do, but also through discussing methods and ideas that they have an incredibly high attention to detail which shown that the beautiful photos of their instruments, branding and way they present themselves and their work is absolutely no fluke. This is their strong vision on what they want Jennings to be, and it's been a great experience learning more about that. It got me thinking, we need to do a Meet the Maker for these guys! But, being the first 2 man team I've considered interviewing, I thought it was important to involve them both so both Chad and Devin joined me for this and share their thoughts and processes on all things Jennings!
Chad Jennings reached out to me in the early parts of this year and we spoke on the phone a number of times which was great to be able to do with someone on the other side of the world. What struck me was firstly their passion for what they do, but also through discussing methods and ideas that they have an incredibly high attention to detail which shown that the beautiful photos of their instruments, branding and way they present themselves and their work is absolutely no fluke. This is their strong vision on what they want Jennings to be, and it's been a great experience learning more about that. It got me thinking, we need to do a Meet the Maker for these guys! But, being the first 2 man team I've considered interviewing, I thought it was important to involve them both so both Chad and Devin joined me for this and share their thoughts and processes on all things Jennings!
Meet the maker - Mike Wiltshire of Odessa Guitars
I feel this is an exciting time to be a fan of guitar design. Sure, there have been many pivotal moments in time where the guitar excelled through both technology and music generational influence too. But for me, we should be thankful for what is happening at the moment, with a rise of the 'boutique' guitar maker paving the way for outside of the box thinking which even the big name manufacturers are paying attention too.
I've highlighted a few through this interview series who have certainly began to make their mark in the modern guitar world, and have helped fueled my passion and excitement for the business and industry currently. I'm happy to say that one of them, Mike Wiltshire of Odessa Guitars, has agreed to an interview here on the Home of Tone blog!
Odessa Guitars are simplistic in their beauty, with great lines, offset inspired shapes and display Mike's obvious love for guitar making. I'm really glad we could do this interview, and looking forward to learning more about his great, UK based guitar brand!
I've highlighted a few through this interview series who have certainly began to make their mark in the modern guitar world, and have helped fueled my passion and excitement for the business and industry currently. I'm happy to say that one of them, Mike Wiltshire of Odessa Guitars, has agreed to an interview here on the Home of Tone blog!
Odessa Guitars are simplistic in their beauty, with great lines, offset inspired shapes and display Mike's obvious love for guitar making. I'm really glad we could do this interview, and looking forward to learning more about his great, UK based guitar brand!
Home of Tone interview by 'Squid Guitar'!
Hal from Squid Guitar reached out about doing a written interview, was nice to share some more about the Home of Tone! Hope you enjoy reading some further insight into what I do here, and why I love doing it!
Click HERE for the interview
Click HERE for the interview
Meet the maker - Tom Sands
This series is somewhat self indulgent of me, I love discovering brands and guitar makers I've not come across prior, including that of the aspects of guitars I'm perhaps not familiar with either. I enjoy hearing about all the different luthiers approaches and influences, from a guitar geeks perspective it's really quite insightful. But one thing the series was lacking so far, was an acoustic guitar maker's thoughts.
Rewind about a year, and Nick Pourfard of Prisma Guitars asked me if I knew Tom Sands, an acoustic guitar maker friend of his. I hadn't sadly, and to my surprise he was UK based, and I was hooked instantly after a look at his website and media content. You could tell there was more than just guitars that Tom was influenced by. Super clean designs, that seemed to balance beautifully between pure functionality and getting the very best from each aspect of the instrument, to being incredibly aesthetically pleasing and unique. Over the course of the time first hearing of Tom's work, to speaking with him a little over social media, I knew he had to be the first acoustic guitar maker to join the Meet the Maker series and luckily he was keen too! So let's find out more about Tom, his influences, processes and work...
Rewind about a year, and Nick Pourfard of Prisma Guitars asked me if I knew Tom Sands, an acoustic guitar maker friend of his. I hadn't sadly, and to my surprise he was UK based, and I was hooked instantly after a look at his website and media content. You could tell there was more than just guitars that Tom was influenced by. Super clean designs, that seemed to balance beautifully between pure functionality and getting the very best from each aspect of the instrument, to being incredibly aesthetically pleasing and unique. Over the course of the time first hearing of Tom's work, to speaking with him a little over social media, I knew he had to be the first acoustic guitar maker to join the Meet the Maker series and luckily he was keen too! So let's find out more about Tom, his influences, processes and work...
Meet the maker - An Appetite for Perfection, John Ambler of Ambler Custom Guitars
Over the years of playing the guitar, one thing that has increasingly sparked my interest almost more than playing in some instances is the skill of a great luthier and the work they create.
One which really stood out to me, was UK luthier John Ambler of Ambler Custom Guitars. From the rough and ready 'Junk Yard Dog' model featuring a real metal coating, full of character and patina, to the absolutely stunning figured woods used on a range of his other models. John is truly a maker to watch, as already early on in his career, the quality of work is right up there with the very best and often surpasses!
In our series of Meet the Maker interviews, we caught up with John to chat about his work!
One which really stood out to me, was UK luthier John Ambler of Ambler Custom Guitars. From the rough and ready 'Junk Yard Dog' model featuring a real metal coating, full of character and patina, to the absolutely stunning figured woods used on a range of his other models. John is truly a maker to watch, as already early on in his career, the quality of work is right up there with the very best and often surpasses!
In our series of Meet the Maker interviews, we caught up with John to chat about his work!