I will start with some general observations about my guitar making, some of which may prove controversial..

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Ever since man began to produce complicated and valuable artefacts to make music he has decorated them in the most ornate ways available to him. This is entirely understandable in the light of the almost mystical regard in which early instruments must have been held. However, musical instruments are not delicate airy fairy things. They are very practical and serviceable pieces of equipment and in their own way hugely strong and durable. Just think of the enormous number of hours use they get. One has only to see a very beautiful and valuable violin taken to pieces by an expert repairer and completely rebuilt to look as though it had never been touched to realise how durable they can be.

Of course they are very valuable and we do take great care of them but this is the regard we would have for any beautiful and treasured thing.

Back to this tradition of ornamentation. All instruments seem to be well proportioned and have a beauty that transcends the materials from which they are made. I suppose there are a few exceptions but they are probably mostly historic instruments which, anyway, probably looked fine to their original owners.

The great and famous wooden instruments of the past such as the Cremona Violins are beautiful and sound wonderful and have no mother of pearl inlay or tortoise shell bits. As a maker of musical instruments I see my job as being one of utilising materials to create the form and construction that produces the instrument and thus makes the sound that is required. In fact, it is my opinion that some of my instruments produce more than the sound required. That is my job, to make the best instrument that I can arrive at using my all my skill, experience and intuition. I do not consider it part of my function to apply excessive decoration to the instruments that I make.

Traditionally Guitars have purfling and ornamental roses. If I don't include these the instruments look sort of bald. The making of great and ornate decorations to add to the guitar would probably take as long as making the instrument in the first place. This would be reflected in the cost of the instrument.

So my instruments are plain but very beautiful. I use the finest materials and the latest techniques . Mostly for the flat topped Guitars I use a fine spruce or pine for the sound board (Table) and for the Back and sides (Ribs) a dark rich rosewood. With this I use Mahogany for the necks and I choose a dark dense material which will darken to a fine rich colour in a few months. I also sometimes use American walnut for these instruments and then the neck is walnut too. My mandolins are usually walnut but sometimes rosewood and mahogany.

For the plectrum Guitars I use solid pine wedges for the front and maple( usually Sycamore) for the backs and sides. With this I use maple (Sycamore) for the necks and usually use a light sunburst finish leaving the part of the neck that you hold white. This is the way violins are traditionally treated. The finish ranges from scarcely coloured to deep Cello brown depending how even and clean the underlying wood is and the owners preference.

All my instruments have ebony fingerboards and bridges as this material holds the fret better , wears well and transmits the sound best of all.

Spanish Guitars have bone nuts and bridge saddles and the rest have a fret as a bridge saddle and a zero fret.

If you want mother of pearl or abalone or such, I am sure you will be able to find someone to make an instrument for you, but not me. I make instruments to make music.