b'Stefan Sobell ~ the other guitar maker!I know thats a cheeky title, hopefullybeing particularly professional in allStefan and I probably qualify as Stefan wont mind, its meant as atheir details. Chris Eccleshall and Igrumpy old men - he is a little compliment, and a glance at guitarhad mutual contacts but I dont thinkolder, and I am a lot grumpier. Its making in the UK. we ever spoke to each other. the basis for a good friendship. On When I started making guitars IAll of those were individual makers,one level we compete, on another didnt meet or even speak to anotherwho apart from Rob Kaye Knellerwe cooperate, particularly in wood maker for many years, and I didntwere not interested in large-scalebuying and interpreting timber know there were any others untilproduction, which right from thelegislation. We often find we have I was ready to make guitars for astart was where I intended to go.reached similar conclusions about living. Of course, since those days, manyall sorts of technical issues, even At that point, I heard about other,makers have appeared, quite oftenthough our overall approach is older makers. Marco Roccia hadsetting up significant businessesdifferent. Hopefully that means we written a short book on classicalremarkably quickly. I cant possiblyare both right.guitar making. Stan Franciscomment on all of them and IveWe share quite a lot of things; the persuaded Martin Carthy aboutmade my opinions plain elsewhere,wood that Stefan is splitting in the merits of the zero fret, andgood and bad. this picture is some very old Sitka used some very solid engineeringI have never sought out theSpruce that I brought over from principles in his guitar structure. Acompany or ideas of other makers.Alaska. What doesnt suit one of us guitar made by John Le Voi showedIt is very unusual for me to approachmight suit the other. If it doesnt suit me that a shiny smooth finishanybody or engage in a lengthyeither of us, it gets passed on.was possible. Rob Kaye Knellersconversation. Its a bit like politics;Stefan likes to plough his own venture into commercial making ofvery soon I find that I disagree withfurrow as a maker, for which he has Classical guitars was a hint abouteverything and everybody.my utmost respect, and to prove the possibilities and the difficultiesMy friendship with Stefan wasit, I can point out that he is the involved, and I later acquired somemuch the same for a long time;only other guitar maker who I am of his equipment.he has followed a similar routehappy to talk to for more than a few I dont think any of those wereto myself, being interested in theminutes. Thats why he is here in this exactly professional makers. Johnmusic as much as the making of thebook.Bailey taught part time and hadinstrument. We didnt get to know written a book that I knew nothingeach other well until I moved to about; later, he became a friend.Cumbria, and we discovered that we Dick Knight, Tony Zemaitis, andenjoy a lot of things in common and John Bailey proved that hand madedont need to talk about guitars all English guitars could reach thethe time.hands of top line artists despite not 94'