b'David Walters guitarWhen I moved to St Annes to startDave has several guitars fromprocess is used to make Damascus the business, my first night out wasme; this one is perhaps the mostSteel, where iron bars are continually to the local Folk Club. Within thesignificant.It is a custom Oberonfolded and twisted then hammered first few minutes, I met the girl whoserial number 500, and very specialtogether until the layers of iron and became my first wife, and Davein various ways. The obvious thingstrapped carbon become steel, with Walters, who didnt. He was in afirst - Brazilian Rosewood backthe layers showing in wonderful duo, which became a trio when Iand sides with German Spruceflowing shapes.joined them on fiddle and mandolin.soundboard. The neck is made withI have worked on this guitar a Before long Dave became a full timetwo outer laminations of somethingnumber of times to keep it up to date singer songwriter and toured allrather strange. I think it is Burrand Ive tried to duplicate the inlays, over Europe, and used my houseRosewood, but I have never foundbut I cant duplicate the process as his base in the UK, helping meanything similar so I cant be sure. for twisting the lines now, either I with renovations when he had time.I made the purflings by gluing layershave forgotten how I did it, or plastic After a while Dave moved to theof green and red plastic together,doesnt behave like it used to.south coast and in 1993 he foundedcutting them into long square strips,Perhaps it will remain a secret like the Music Research Institute,and twisting them over a flameDamascus steel was for so long, the devoted to intellectual and emotionalbefore gluing them into place. Thatlost art of Bucknalls purflings.development through music,was not easy.When they were supported by people such as Sirsanded down level, those weird George Martin, Yehudi Menuhin andpatterns were revealed, the type of Daniel Barenboim. He then went onpattern depended upon how many to practically apply these ideas andlayers of colour were involved and set up the educational charity, Codahow heavily it was sanded. A similar Music Centre. I built Daves guitar alongside one other - the Falstaff for John James shown here on the right, and with John playing it on page 33. The guitars were twins, very similar materials and decoration. John traded his guitar when I made him his newest instruments, even he cant play four guitars at one time.274'