b'very simplicity gives it a popularity that gains itSome parts of the last forty years have been dreadful, but friends and enemies. That same simplicity allowsthere have been lots of good times as well, not just in guitar it to remain plain or to be decorated with preciousmaking.materials. It is the most expressive of instruments,Over a fairly short period of time, I have met Bert Weedon and it can live happily by itself or amongst a groupwithout his trousers, Ray Reardon without his shirt and of others. If any part of the physics of strings wereSting hanging upside down by his feet. I have played golf any different, this could not be so, any significantwith Ray Reardon, pool with Bruce Grobelaar and Kevin change in tonal range, number of strings or size orKeegan, snakes and ladders with Ben Elton and table shape and the instrument would not connect with atennis with Al Di Meola. Ive been very drunk with Ade human being in the same way Edmondson, got into a fight at Torville and Deans opening It is the nearest thing to a human being that can benight party, and danced with Steve Daviss girlfriend. Barry fashioned out of natures gifts. Hearne threatened to break my legs, I once said some very That is my job, to take the most amazing naturalnaughty things to Prince Andrews equerry and Stings materials, and give them new life in an instrumentwifes sisters dog peed on my shoes.that I think has done more to express the rangeAll completely true, I should write a book. What a good of human emotions than any other. From joyidea! Ill start now.to misery, playing for yourself or to others, theRoger Bucknall,October2015guitar allows you to express your feelings and communicate on another level. Somebody has to build them.Alex Reay & Paul FerrieFor the last few years, I have been very lucky to havea very small but splendid team of people helping. The three people on the page to the right made it possible for me to continue the business in a new and positive direction when I realised that trying to conquer the guitar world by volume was not realistic. Alex Reay (left) has been with me for eight years and Paul Ferrie (right) for five years. The job takes a long time to learn, and I have found that personality is the key. I can teach the skills, but not the attitude, which is essential to this sort of work. I spend a lot of time dealing with enquiries and suppliers, and there are certain parts of the work that I need to keep away from, so being able to trust that everything is being done the way I want lets me relax and concentrate when I do manage to get to my bench. I like to work without chatter or music, and when I am away from Steve White work sometimes, the lads sneakily turn the radio on. When I found out that they tune to radio four, not radio one, I knew I had We are almost at the end of the story now. As far as thethe right guys.guitar making process itself is concerned, that means the finalMoira Bucknalladjustments, truss rod, frets, saddle and checks on finish, it can easily take up the longest amount of time of the whole process.My lovely wife, who cares for everybody, charms everybody, does This picture of those final checks is Steve White, my main maneverything without complaint, and used to give me double helpings, for quite a long time. He left to become a woodwork teacher,but now puts me on a diet.and then decided to become a paramedic. If you are ever placedThank you everybody.on a stretcher, defibrillated, resuscitated, oxygenated, splinted, dripped, entubed or any other horrible intervention by a slightly blurred ambulance man, its probably Steve. Say hi from me - that would give him a shock.116'