b'When I had made a guitar which I could actuallycardboard and bend coloured plastic as long as they play, I bought a banjo, then after seeing Davewear full body armour, under close supervision, Swarbrick, I bought a mandolin, then a fiddle,with insurance and written permission from and when Swarb teamed up with Martin Carthy,parents. I was inspired to make another better guitarThe teachers let me do what I wanted, and I was which accompanied me to University. When I metoften in the workshops when I should have been my friends at the local pub for a session I hadsomewhere else. I loved playing cricket and table to walk about four miles carrying at least threetennis, but whenever rugby or cross-country were instruments. It was terribly embarrassing whensuggested I pretended to have an important project no one else turned up and I had to turn round andin the workshop. I was brought up to love rugby, walk home again. but if I tried to tackle someone, they just carried Making things, all sorts of things, has been aon running while I held on tight, bouncing along constant thread through my life. After the firstbehind.guitar I made a canoe (went on holiday with it)I stayed after school in the evenings, the teacher a greenhouse (sold it) model planes and boatslent me his key to lock up, and I would often (crashed and sunk) and sort of set fire to my sisterturn up at physics class with some strange device Jean. She cant remember it, but I know where theId made. The headmaster arranged for me to scar is. attend three short works courses at international Luckily I was able to go to a wonderful technicalengineering companies - probably trying to get rid school where woodwork and metalwork wereof me. I saw some amazing things and it gave me a considered equivalent to other subjects, one ofreal breadth of experience in manufacturing while those short-lived success stories of education init was still an important part of the UK economy. between decades of stupidity. We were encouragedOne of the factories had enormous billets of to use machines and sharp tools to actually makealuminium alloy that were being slowly machined things. Technical education has improved so muchinto TSR2 aircraft wings, the machining controlled now that pupils are allowed to shape dangerousby punched paper tape - computer control didnt The Octavius family of mandolin style instruments. The sky here isI think this is the only photograph I have of the Sir Toby floodlit from behind the swags to avoid shadows of the edges. It mightand King John Bass guitars together. I have been look like the sky background is some distance away, but in fact it is onlystruggling to remember how this was done, because the a few inches from the back of the instruments. They are supported bycrown doesnt cast a shadow where you might expect, wooden props carefully placed and lit to avoid showing as shadows, butand I have just realised that the gold crown is actually it looks unreal even to me, and I was there when the pictures were taken! part of the throne leg rather than a separate prop. Im going to point out that the Throne and the Crown are relevant to a Sir and a King. All incredibly clever.23'