Post by ocarolan on May 4, 2014 11:44:34 GMT
Acoustic Soundboard - Meet the Maker
An Interview with Dave White
www.defaoiteguitars.com
by Keith Chesterton
An Interview with Dave White
www.defaoiteguitars.com
by Keith Chesterton
It had to happen, Meet the Maker talks at last, and at length, with Dave White - known by many here on the Acoustic Soundboard Forum, both virtually and in person.
Keith: Dave, thanks so much for agreeing to do this interview. Various people on the Acoustic Soundboard Forum know something of your story, but many do not, so perhaps you could begin by telling us a little of your background and how you came to want to make acoustic guitars and other instruments.
Dave: I’ve played acoustic guitars since I was twelve and eventually my playing took me to the world of “fingerstyle” acoustic guitar and in particular the genre that tends to get labelled “Celtic”. I began to use a lot more open and modal tunings and noticed that different makes of acoustic guitar produced different sounds and responded differently to me as a player. I moved from my cheap Washburns to a Taylor, a couple of Lowdens and a McIlroy and at a series of Martin Simpson guitar weekends in the early 2000’s I was able to see and play a large range of guitars made by Stefan Sobell. I’ve always been interested in making things and understanding how things work and wood as a material has always held a special fascination for me so I bought an Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer kit from Hobgoblin in London. When I strung that instrument up for the first time I was hooked. I bought the Cumpiano and Natelson book and started a long search on the internet researching how steel string acoustic guitars were made. Then in 2000 I was given a life changing choice when I was offered an early retirement package, made my first guitar in 2003 and set up my own business in 2004, and the rest as they say is history, or at least the history of De Faoite Stringed Instruments.
Dave: I’ve played acoustic guitars since I was twelve and eventually my playing took me to the world of “fingerstyle” acoustic guitar and in particular the genre that tends to get labelled “Celtic”. I began to use a lot more open and modal tunings and noticed that different makes of acoustic guitar produced different sounds and responded differently to me as a player. I moved from my cheap Washburns to a Taylor, a couple of Lowdens and a McIlroy and at a series of Martin Simpson guitar weekends in the early 2000’s I was able to see and play a large range of guitars made by Stefan Sobell. I’ve always been interested in making things and understanding how things work and wood as a material has always held a special fascination for me so I bought an Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer kit from Hobgoblin in London. When I strung that instrument up for the first time I was hooked. I bought the Cumpiano and Natelson book and started a long search on the internet researching how steel string acoustic guitars were made. Then in 2000 I was given a life changing choice when I was offered an early retirement package, made my first guitar in 2003 and set up my own business in 2004, and the rest as they say is history, or at least the history of De Faoite Stringed Instruments.
Mountain Dulcimer made from a Hobgoblin kit.
Keith: So what was the first guitar you made, and did the build progress smoothly? Did the finished instrument sound as you’d expected/hoped?
Dave: I always do things my way and learn by understanding the principles of things so I did not want to buy a kit or plans and wanted to design my own instruments. My first two creations started in 2002 - "Nancy" and "William" were conceived as a matching pair of small bodied guitar and guitar-bouzouki and their naming comes from the frequency of appearances of these names in traditional English songs and their design was dictated by the size of some wonderful pieces of Old Rio Rosewood I found in Isaac Lord in High Wycombe plus two spruce guitar top sets. The backs were six joined pieces and the necks had 16 frets clear of the body so you could say they were unique but there were influences there from the great maker Stefan Sobell who I very much admire. I finished them both in 2003 after an “interesting” journey and although in looks they were “rough as a badger’s arse” they sounded really good – the beginnings of the De Faoite sound.
Dave: I always do things my way and learn by understanding the principles of things so I did not want to buy a kit or plans and wanted to design my own instruments. My first two creations started in 2002 - "Nancy" and "William" were conceived as a matching pair of small bodied guitar and guitar-bouzouki and their naming comes from the frequency of appearances of these names in traditional English songs and their design was dictated by the size of some wonderful pieces of Old Rio Rosewood I found in Isaac Lord in High Wycombe plus two spruce guitar top sets. The backs were six joined pieces and the necks had 16 frets clear of the body so you could say they were unique but there were influences there from the great maker Stefan Sobell who I very much admire. I finished them both in 2003 after an “interesting” journey and although in looks they were “rough as a badger’s arse” they sounded really good – the beginnings of the De Faoite sound.
Nancy and William
Keith: Most of us have a fair idea of what we want to hear from a guitar. Describing that sound and the desired tonal qualities is not the easiest task, but how would you put into words what you are aiming for from the “De Faoite sound”?
Dave: My signature sound is big volume, projection, sustain and balance across the strings and along the fretboard with complexities and overtones particularly in the trebles. The player also gets to hear the instrument to the fullest possible extent as their audience does. Where possible I include sound-clips of my instruments on the relevant page on my website with the full collection on my Sounds page.
Dave: My signature sound is big volume, projection, sustain and balance across the strings and along the fretboard with complexities and overtones particularly in the trebles. The player also gets to hear the instrument to the fullest possible extent as their audience does. Where possible I include sound-clips of my instruments on the relevant page on my website with the full collection on my Sounds page.
Phil Keaggy’s “County Down” played by Jonny Moss on “Lughnasa”
Keith: What particular constructional methods and design features have you found to be most useful in attaining your signature sound?
Dave: The whole process used by a maker shapes the final sound of their instruments but there are a number of things that I think have a big influence on shaping the De Faoite sound. The middle part of my soundboards under the bridge are thicker than many steel string guitar makers as this helps trebles, and I keep the upper bout area of the soundboard as active as possible as this is where I believe the complex upper harmonics of the treble notes are coloured. My tops are also arched more than most makers to help with trebles and mids. I use tapered bracing and “voice” each top and back to make them as responsive as possible over all of their surface area. The soundhole on my tops is positioned above the waist to give a larger area for the lower bout. I make my backs “active” and coupled to the top’s motion using a hybrid X/ladder bracing layout. The rim set is made stiff and rigid using carbon fibre flying buttress braces, reverse kerfed linings and wooden side braces. My necks support the fingerboard all the way to the upper bout brace and have carbon fibre bars that help eliminate “dead spots” and produce an even tone across strings and up and down the fingerboard. Finally the side sound-ports help the top “breathe” more effectively and act as a personal monitor to the player.
Keith: And then there’s the wood! Do you have any particular favourite kinds, and if so why, and what, in your hands, do the different possibilities bring to the sounds of your instruments?
Dave: My favourite kind of wood is . . . tonewood. It comes in many forms – domestic or from overseas, growing in high altitudes or tropical rainforest, specially cut or re-cycled from old furniture. You judge it by the feel in your hand and its responsiveness and by the finished instrument. I’ve used many different top woods – both conifers and hardwoods and a wide range of different back and side woods. As I said above the instrument’s sound comes from the maker’s process but you can use wood combinations to shape and colour this. For example a cedar top paired with maple back and sides works together as the clear note separation across the strings that maple brings balances the slight lack of note clarity in cedar and the bass warmth of the cedar smoothes out the brittle sound of maple. When you are making a baritone guitar these subtleties are more important that with a more normal scale length instrument.
Dave: The whole process used by a maker shapes the final sound of their instruments but there are a number of things that I think have a big influence on shaping the De Faoite sound. The middle part of my soundboards under the bridge are thicker than many steel string guitar makers as this helps trebles, and I keep the upper bout area of the soundboard as active as possible as this is where I believe the complex upper harmonics of the treble notes are coloured. My tops are also arched more than most makers to help with trebles and mids. I use tapered bracing and “voice” each top and back to make them as responsive as possible over all of their surface area. The soundhole on my tops is positioned above the waist to give a larger area for the lower bout. I make my backs “active” and coupled to the top’s motion using a hybrid X/ladder bracing layout. The rim set is made stiff and rigid using carbon fibre flying buttress braces, reverse kerfed linings and wooden side braces. My necks support the fingerboard all the way to the upper bout brace and have carbon fibre bars that help eliminate “dead spots” and produce an even tone across strings and up and down the fingerboard. Finally the side sound-ports help the top “breathe” more effectively and act as a personal monitor to the player.
Keith: And then there’s the wood! Do you have any particular favourite kinds, and if so why, and what, in your hands, do the different possibilities bring to the sounds of your instruments?
Dave: My favourite kind of wood is . . . tonewood. It comes in many forms – domestic or from overseas, growing in high altitudes or tropical rainforest, specially cut or re-cycled from old furniture. You judge it by the feel in your hand and its responsiveness and by the finished instrument. I’ve used many different top woods – both conifers and hardwoods and a wide range of different back and side woods. As I said above the instrument’s sound comes from the maker’s process but you can use wood combinations to shape and colour this. For example a cedar top paired with maple back and sides works together as the clear note separation across the strings that maple brings balances the slight lack of note clarity in cedar and the bass warmth of the cedar smoothes out the brittle sound of maple. When you are making a baritone guitar these subtleties are more important that with a more normal scale length instrument.
“Samhain” in cedar/maple
Keith: Some of your design features and obviously the woods used will affect how the appearance of the finished instrument. Is there a DeFaoite “look”?
Dave: I think others will have to judge that but I do strive to make instruments that are pleasing to my eye and in choosing neck woods, bindings, rosette design and headstock veneers I like to make the instrument “flow” rather than clash. My wife is an artist and she has a very keen eye in terms of shapes, curves and symmetry and she is a great help in refining my designs. For a new instrument I will draw the shape out on a strip of lining paper and pin it up on the kitchen wall where it can be seen day to day. By looking at it over a period of days or weeks and making changes as they become apparent you can come up with a design that works visually. I love wood and simplicity and want my instruments to draw you in to the tactile nature of the wood. I do my own finishes and these are starkly at variance with the current prevalence of automotive and shrink wrapped shiny acoustic guitars.
For me an instrument’s primary purpose is to make music and that’s where most of my attention is focused. As pieces of furniture they have limited usefulness – you can’t really sit on them or use them as coffee tables, and as wall hangings they look down wistfully saying “play me”. I would always put function over form and personally find features such as sound-ports that let you see the inside workings of an instrument and the visible carbon fibre buttress braces aesthetically pleasing.
Dave: I think others will have to judge that but I do strive to make instruments that are pleasing to my eye and in choosing neck woods, bindings, rosette design and headstock veneers I like to make the instrument “flow” rather than clash. My wife is an artist and she has a very keen eye in terms of shapes, curves and symmetry and she is a great help in refining my designs. For a new instrument I will draw the shape out on a strip of lining paper and pin it up on the kitchen wall where it can be seen day to day. By looking at it over a period of days or weeks and making changes as they become apparent you can come up with a design that works visually. I love wood and simplicity and want my instruments to draw you in to the tactile nature of the wood. I do my own finishes and these are starkly at variance with the current prevalence of automotive and shrink wrapped shiny acoustic guitars.
For me an instrument’s primary purpose is to make music and that’s where most of my attention is focused. As pieces of furniture they have limited usefulness – you can’t really sit on them or use them as coffee tables, and as wall hangings they look down wistfully saying “play me”. I would always put function over form and personally find features such as sound-ports that let you see the inside workings of an instrument and the visible carbon fibre buttress braces aesthetically pleasing.
“Buachaill Mór”
Keith: You make quite a variety of guitars (we’ll come to other instruments in a short while!) - can you summarise/categorise your current range and say something about their inherent characteristics?
Dave: My guitars are based on eight different body sizes with different combinations of scale length and frets clear of the body this gives ten different guitar models - “Treebeard” (Baritone), “Sir Bill” (Jumbo), “Buachaill Mór” (Modified Dreadnaught), “Daithi” and “Lughnasa” (Small Jumbo), “Samhain” and “Samhradh” (Grand Concert), “Féileacán” and “Féileacán Jubilee” (Concert), and "An Féa Caol" (Terz/Parlour). Apart from "An Féa Caol", all of my instruments are designed to fit snugly into a Hiscox case.
Dave: My guitars are based on eight different body sizes with different combinations of scale length and frets clear of the body this gives ten different guitar models - “Treebeard” (Baritone), “Sir Bill” (Jumbo), “Buachaill Mór” (Modified Dreadnaught), “Daithi” and “Lughnasa” (Small Jumbo), “Samhain” and “Samhradh” (Grand Concert), “Féileacán” and “Féileacán Jubilee” (Concert), and "An Féa Caol" (Terz/Parlour). Apart from "An Féa Caol", all of my instruments are designed to fit snugly into a Hiscox case.
l to r "Treebeard" (baritone), "Buachaill Mór" (Modified Dreadnaught), "Lughnasa" (Small Jumbo), "Samhain" (Grand Concert) and "Féileacán" (Concert)
Sound file - app.box.com/s/37uwf0tqf2441uwmmwpa
"An Féa Caol" - an original composition played by Dave White on "An Féa Caol".
"An Féa Caol" - an original composition played by Dave White on "An Féa Caol".
As guitars go up in size you generally get a larger top surface area, a bigger volume of air inside the box and a deeper guitar. The scale length tends to increase with body size but not always – this also depends on how many frets clear of the body are chosen. The larger top surface area means that the top has a lower main resonance as does the box with the larger air volume and this will tend to support bass notes better. The fullness and complexity of the sound also increases with body size with more natural reverberation present in the sound. This does come at a cost though and you need to work at maintaining string clarity across the strings particularly for strumming. One of the signs of good makers in my view is the ability to make small full sounding guitars that surprise and change the perception many players have that these instruments are “boxy”.
Where the waist is positioned on the guitar and how “pinched” it is also shapes the tone. Guitars with curvy waists tend to have more focused mids and trebles whereas guitars with very little waist – like dreadnoughts – have a more bass focused sound. This is partly due to there being more air volume but it is also due to how the waist changes the motion of air inside the box.
I have learned over time that there is no general rule about what type of guitar works best for a certain musical style and genre, it all depends on the player and their preference.
Keith: I promise we'll get on to other instruments soon, but this seems a good point to talk about a potential customer's relationship with you - how they select you, how you filter them, how clear their requirements are (seems to me, especially on AGF but also at times on AS, that many folk haven't much idea what they want and are hence likely to satisfied with anything, or dissatisfied with everything!), accessing your instruments for trial purposes, and generally how the commissioning/build process can proceed together. Stuff like that really!
Dave: I only make a few instruments a year and they are like my babies so I need to know that they are going to a good home. If I get an enquiry from someone for a possible commission the first thing I do is invite them to come and visit me, see and play my instruments and generally talk over what they are looking for in the instrument. It’s a good test of their commitment and essential as the perception from internet pictures, videos and recordings while useful is no substitute for the real thing. I have a range of instruments here that give an idea of the differences in instruments in my range and in different woods used and watching people play and talking with them gives me a much better idea of them and their preferences. People are nervous about commissioning an instrument rather than buying one they have played and it’s an act of faith and trust both from the buyer and maker. The looks sound and feel of a De Faoite is not to everyone’s taste and there are plenty of other makers out there that may be a better match for them.
The process for commissions that I have developed is based around what I would have wanted if I’d commissioned an instrument myself. Once we have agreed which instrument in my range is required I will agree with them a detailed specification of the instrument covering all the details I need to build to including the woods used, scale length, playing details such as nut width and string spacing at the saddle and any special features such as soundports, pickups etc. I then give them an estimated start and completion date and price for that specification. Any changes to the agreed specification that occur after I start making the instrument have to be agreed between ourselves. The instrument comes with a warranty to the original owner as long as he/she owns it in my lifetime, covering problems due to defective workmanship by me. I take photographs of the whole building process that appear on a special page on my website as the instrument is being made so that they can keep track with progress. This webpage is copied into a Microsoft Word document and together with the photographs is copied onto CD for the owner to keep together with a handbook when the instrument is delivered. If required the De Faoite label in the guitar can bear the inscription "Made for . . ."; and the customer’s chosen words can be added to my signature underneath the instrument’s top.
I have only twice agreed to take commissions from someone who has not visited or played my instruments at guitar shows or other events where I have exhibited and in both cases they had played other instruments that I had made. I would love to do more handmade acoustic guitar shows as I love meeting people and talking guitars but these currently seem to be as rare as hen’s teeth in the UK and have short lifetimes. I hope in the future to try and put some more effort into getting one of these going perhaps with the help of the Acoustic Soundboard. The annual Forum meet in September is a good place to come and see and play my instruments and I will also be demonstrating them at the Llyn Acoustic Guitar Festival on 3rd, 4th and 5th October this year.
In 2010 I sent a guitar around the UK on a Road Trip in conjunction with members of the Acoustic Life Forum – which pre-dated the Acoustic Soundboard Forum. I’d seen this done in America and thought it a good idea and to my knowledge this was the first time it has been tried in the UK. I followed this up with a 2011 Road Trip of two guitars of the same model but different woods and then with a Mandolin Road Trip for Acoustic Soundboard members in 2013. These Road Trips went very well. Everyone who took part took good care of the instruments and they were very responsible and professional in writing their reviews. I made a lot of friends – as did others who took part and ended up meeting in reality as well as virtually on the Forum – and experienced a huge variety of lovely music made on the instruments which is what it is all about for me. It was a great way of testing the instruments robustness and a lot of the feedback helped in fine tuning my instrument building process. There were one or two inevitable hiccups along the way but nothing insurmountable.
Where the waist is positioned on the guitar and how “pinched” it is also shapes the tone. Guitars with curvy waists tend to have more focused mids and trebles whereas guitars with very little waist – like dreadnoughts – have a more bass focused sound. This is partly due to there being more air volume but it is also due to how the waist changes the motion of air inside the box.
I have learned over time that there is no general rule about what type of guitar works best for a certain musical style and genre, it all depends on the player and their preference.
Keith: I promise we'll get on to other instruments soon, but this seems a good point to talk about a potential customer's relationship with you - how they select you, how you filter them, how clear their requirements are (seems to me, especially on AGF but also at times on AS, that many folk haven't much idea what they want and are hence likely to satisfied with anything, or dissatisfied with everything!), accessing your instruments for trial purposes, and generally how the commissioning/build process can proceed together. Stuff like that really!
Dave: I only make a few instruments a year and they are like my babies so I need to know that they are going to a good home. If I get an enquiry from someone for a possible commission the first thing I do is invite them to come and visit me, see and play my instruments and generally talk over what they are looking for in the instrument. It’s a good test of their commitment and essential as the perception from internet pictures, videos and recordings while useful is no substitute for the real thing. I have a range of instruments here that give an idea of the differences in instruments in my range and in different woods used and watching people play and talking with them gives me a much better idea of them and their preferences. People are nervous about commissioning an instrument rather than buying one they have played and it’s an act of faith and trust both from the buyer and maker. The looks sound and feel of a De Faoite is not to everyone’s taste and there are plenty of other makers out there that may be a better match for them.
The process for commissions that I have developed is based around what I would have wanted if I’d commissioned an instrument myself. Once we have agreed which instrument in my range is required I will agree with them a detailed specification of the instrument covering all the details I need to build to including the woods used, scale length, playing details such as nut width and string spacing at the saddle and any special features such as soundports, pickups etc. I then give them an estimated start and completion date and price for that specification. Any changes to the agreed specification that occur after I start making the instrument have to be agreed between ourselves. The instrument comes with a warranty to the original owner as long as he/she owns it in my lifetime, covering problems due to defective workmanship by me. I take photographs of the whole building process that appear on a special page on my website as the instrument is being made so that they can keep track with progress. This webpage is copied into a Microsoft Word document and together with the photographs is copied onto CD for the owner to keep together with a handbook when the instrument is delivered. If required the De Faoite label in the guitar can bear the inscription "Made for . . ."; and the customer’s chosen words can be added to my signature underneath the instrument’s top.
I have only twice agreed to take commissions from someone who has not visited or played my instruments at guitar shows or other events where I have exhibited and in both cases they had played other instruments that I had made. I would love to do more handmade acoustic guitar shows as I love meeting people and talking guitars but these currently seem to be as rare as hen’s teeth in the UK and have short lifetimes. I hope in the future to try and put some more effort into getting one of these going perhaps with the help of the Acoustic Soundboard. The annual Forum meet in September is a good place to come and see and play my instruments and I will also be demonstrating them at the Llyn Acoustic Guitar Festival on 3rd, 4th and 5th October this year.
In 2010 I sent a guitar around the UK on a Road Trip in conjunction with members of the Acoustic Life Forum – which pre-dated the Acoustic Soundboard Forum. I’d seen this done in America and thought it a good idea and to my knowledge this was the first time it has been tried in the UK. I followed this up with a 2011 Road Trip of two guitars of the same model but different woods and then with a Mandolin Road Trip for Acoustic Soundboard members in 2013. These Road Trips went very well. Everyone who took part took good care of the instruments and they were very responsible and professional in writing their reviews. I made a lot of friends – as did others who took part and ended up meeting in reality as well as virtually on the Forum – and experienced a huge variety of lovely music made on the instruments which is what it is all about for me. It was a great way of testing the instruments robustness and a lot of the feedback helped in fine tuning my instrument building process. There were one or two inevitable hiccups along the way but nothing insurmountable.
“Samhain Taistealaí” – the first Road Trip guitar (photo by Keith Chesterton).
Mark Thomson playing his own compositions a slow air "The Traveller's Tale" and a slip jig "There and Back Again" on “Samhain Taistealaí”
The second Road Trip guitars - "Féileacán Iúr" and "Féileacán Taistealaí".
Joe Wadsworth playing "Féileacán Taistealaí".
Paul Brett playing his own composition "Coridons Song" on "Féileacán Iúr".
“Ceol Binn Taistealaí” – the Road Trip Mandolin.
Keith Chesterton playing his own composition “Travel Safely, Sing Sweetly” on “Ceol Binn Taistealaí”.
Keith: “Instruments” - indeed so - you not only make other types of guitar (baitone/terz/harp/tenor etc) , but also mandolin family instruments, ukuleles and other “one-off” specials. How about a brief run down on that little lot please Dave...?
Dave: In my defence I have a short attention span and an innate sense of curiosity. I tend to make instruments that I want to play and probably would have bought if I hadn’t started making and am also interested in how far the De Faoite “sound” and style of building can be taken into other stringed instruments. Guitar-bouzoukis have always been on the list as I love the playing of Andy Irvine and James Fagan and the second instrument I made “William” was one of these. I have two different sized guitar-bouzoukis in my range “Bealtine” and “Paithi Peadar”.
Dave: In my defence I have a short attention span and an innate sense of curiosity. I tend to make instruments that I want to play and probably would have bought if I hadn’t started making and am also interested in how far the De Faoite “sound” and style of building can be taken into other stringed instruments. Guitar-bouzoukis have always been on the list as I love the playing of Andy Irvine and James Fagan and the second instrument I made “William” was one of these. I have two different sized guitar-bouzoukis in my range “Bealtine” and “Paithi Peadar”.
“Paithi Peadar”
Sound file - app.box.com/s/mpmnol9gx6yp5ry3ut1p
Richard Thompson’s “Gethsemene” played by David White on “Paithi Peadar”.
Richard Thompson’s “Gethsemene” played by David White on “Paithi Peadar”.
The step from these to tenor guitars is an obvious one and I have four string versions “Nøkken” and “Nácken” and a five string version “Doolish”. I’ve recently started making floating bridge members of the multi-course family with a “guitarist friendly” mandolin, “Ceol Binn” with longer than usual scale length and a wider nut width, and an octave mandolin “Ceol Binn Mór” each of which seems to be generating a lot of interest.
“Nácken”
“Ceol Binn Mór”
Keith Chesterton playing “Ceol Binn Mór”
Acoustic lapslides are fun instruments – light as a feather and no worries about setting up and dialling in the intonation – and the hollow neck construction is interesting to do! My “Red Kite” is based around the body shape of my “Samhain” guitar and I made a double neck version “Orthus” for one of my daughters inspired by one made by the great New Zealand maker Paddy Burgin. I’ve also make a Baritone designed to be tuned down to Bb called "An Torman Mòr" - "The Big Rumbling" in Scots Gaelic.
“Red Kite”
"An Torman Mòr"
Sound file - app.box.com/s/odb1fe3z9704w745s2s4
“Where Worlds Collide there are Mountains” an original composition played by Dave White on "An Torman Mòr".
“Where Worlds Collide there are Mountains” an original composition played by Dave White on "An Torman Mòr".
Hollow neck construction naturally took me to the world of Harp Guitars and so far I have made six – two taropatch Harp ukuleles “Ferdinand”, a terz sized “Fimbrethil”, a concert sized “Jacob”, a grand concert sized “Samhain Fada Lámh” and a baritone “Fangorn”.
“Fangorn”
Mark Thomson playing his arrangement of “Vatersay Bay” on “Fangorn”.
A trio of De Faoite Harp guitars.
I have also made a number of different instruments that I don’t offer in my range – a lute under the guidance of Colin Symonds, a few concert sized ukuleles, an hourglass shaped Mountain Dulcimer and a few electric guitars for some of my daughters.
“Eggbert” – a a Heiber 8 course lute copy in European spruce with African Walnut bowl, neck and peghead.
"Cailin Beag" – a Concert sized ukulele in cedar/pear.
“Sparrowhawk” – a Mountain Dulcimer.
Last year, 2013, was ten years on since I built my first guitar and 2014 is the tenth anniversary of De Faoite Stringed Instruments so I'm going to be making some special and some different/oddball instruments as time allows over the next year or so and will feature them on a special page on my website.
Keith: As a very fine player yourself, making music with your instruments must be especially important to you Dave.....?
Dave: Yes – I came to instrument making as a player and my instruments are made to make music. For my sins I have a regular slot where I perform at our local Folk Club each month but I’m also hugely proud of the music made by people like Mark Thomson and yourself using instruments I have made. I was very happy to have the opportunity to launch the “Young Acoustic Guitar Musician’s Competition” with the Acoustic Soundboard Forum in 2013 with my “Samhradh” guitar as the prize and was delighted by the huge range of talent shown by all of the entrants. The winner James Daubney has gone on to make some amazing music with the guitar and I’m following his career with interest. I won’t have chance this year but hope to make another prize guitar for a 2015 competition.
Dave: Yes – I came to instrument making as a player and my instruments are made to make music. For my sins I have a regular slot where I perform at our local Folk Club each month but I’m also hugely proud of the music made by people like Mark Thomson and yourself using instruments I have made. I was very happy to have the opportunity to launch the “Young Acoustic Guitar Musician’s Competition” with the Acoustic Soundboard Forum in 2013 with my “Samhradh” guitar as the prize and was delighted by the huge range of talent shown by all of the entrants. The winner James Daubney has gone on to make some amazing music with the guitar and I’m following his career with interest. I won’t have chance this year but hope to make another prize guitar for a 2015 competition.
James Daubney being presented with “Samhradh”
James Daubney playing of one of his compositions "In Good Time" on “Samhradh”.
Keith: James was a really big hit when he played for us here in Somerset. People still talk about the time we were visited by such a handsome young wonderful guitarist, so Dave, how about making the 2015 Competition especially for Curmudgeonly Old Gits who are Average-ish Players next time....? !
Dave, this seems as good a moment as any to bring the interview to a close before we both get even older, and to say not only from me, but also on behalf of a great many of us a huge thank you for giving such an insight into your work via this interview, for building such wonderful instruments, for your friendship and for your immense contribution on so many levels to the Acoustic Soundboard Forum.
We all wish you the very best for your 10th Anniversary Year and for a great many years beyond that!
Dave, this seems as good a moment as any to bring the interview to a close before we both get even older, and to say not only from me, but also on behalf of a great many of us a huge thank you for giving such an insight into your work via this interview, for building such wonderful instruments, for your friendship and for your immense contribution on so many levels to the Acoustic Soundboard Forum.
We all wish you the very best for your 10th Anniversary Year and for a great many years beyond that!
Jo whoever he is.
