Wal
basses -
world beating British basses made by Electric Wood in High Wycombe (currently offline)Links Page
This page includes some interesting links to the builders included on this site and to other UK guitar makers and luthiers (and stuff!). Happy browsing...
Featured on this site and stuff I use...
Wal
basses -
world beating British basses made by Electric Wood in High Wycombe (currently offline)
Brook
Guitars - beautiful
acoustic instruments hand-crafted by Hobbits in an orchard!
Fylde
Guitars - wonderful
acoustic instruments built in the beautiful English Lake District
Gordon
Smith Guitars - no-nonsense
journeyman electric guitars built in
Manchester
Gordon
Giltrap - a true master
of the acoustic guitar with a unique style
Italia Straps - handmade to order in the US of A. The widest, comfiest, poshest straps. Great price too!
Yahoo
Walbassesnaturally forum - Yahoo
Wal talking shop 
Click
to join walbassesnaturally
The
Wal Dudepit
- online bass guitar community and another Wal talking shop
The
Badass Bass Players Wal Forum
- and here's a a third which also features a great bunch of guys!
The
Wal Database - Stephan K's
extensive online database of serial #s,
info, piccies etc
Graeme
Fyfe's
Aria SB Bass page - dedicated to
these beautiful basses
The
Matsumoku
Factory page - outlining the
guitars and basses made at this
factory in Japan
Newtone
Strings -
just the very best strings that you can buy. Your guitar will
love you forever...
Strings
Direct - best prices just about
anywhere, you know it makes sense!
Stringbusters
- the other best
prices just about anywhere, it also
makes sense!
J.
White Guitar
Workshops - top guitar builder,
top guitar tech, top bloke!
Threshold - premier British progressive metal (with real tunes!) from leaders of the genre
The Common Moral Cause - an eclectic mix of urban jazz, funk, hip-hop, R'n'B and soul
Don't look now - my covers band, available for weddings and bar-mitzvahs!
Iona
- Celtic spirituality meets rock/folk/jazz fusion - cosmic!
Capercaillie - Scottish reel and folk-based tunes with a funky, dance-pop sensibility!
Aimee Mann - the voice, the words, the music... brilliant!
Nerina Pallot - one of the best voices in Britain! Not heard her? You need to!
Adrina Thorpe - a beautiful singer from California with a beautiful voice
Farrah West - a good friend of mine and a great singer
Victoria Vox - she's a ukulele lady!
Rosalie Deighton - a siren from Barnsley and a cool, cool singer
Beth Rowley - one of the most mind-blowing singers around right now. Prepare to lose your heart!!!
Santa Dog - sparkly poppy indie perfection with songs and a singer to die for.
Status Basses - graphite necks, now with added headstocks!
Sei Basses - beautiful furniture-quality basses from Martin Petersen
Overwater Basses - longstanding British bass maker
Hugh Manson - guitar builder to the stars - John Paul Jones, Muse etc...
Iceni Basses - Zoot basses!
Gus Guitars - space-age chromium designs: instruments for the "Star Wars generation"
GB basses - built by veteran builder Bernie Goodfellow and his team
Woodworm
Guitars by Rob Williams -
Totally BRILLIANT Flash loading icon! Nice guitars and basses too!
Nathan Sheppard Guitars - new builder with a rising reputation
KGB Musical Instruments - a wide range of acoustics, electrics and basses from Merseyside. By appointment to the Russian Secret Service!
D'Alegria - Ok, so they're NOT British! Modern designs from Brazil (well, it starts with a "B"!) and they look rather nice...
Mo Clifton Basses - Electric upright and "downright" basses from London!
Shuker Basses - modern and stylish designs from Sheffield
Kevin Chilcott & Royal Guitars - Hole-y cow, Batman! Swiss cheese basses!
Newton Guitars - handbuilt guitars and basses from the woman behind RainbowViolins.com
D.M. Guitars - a fine custom builder and renovator who also builds UK-spec Burns and JJ guitars
British acoustic guitar builders
Andy Manson - respected British builder, brother of Hugh...
J White Guitar Workshops - quality hand-made acoustics, electrics and guitar servicing
Rob Armstrong - respected UK luthier with an awesome reputation
George Lowden - founder and originator of Lowden guitars
Lowden - renowned Northern Irish guitar builder, now back in George's hands
Avalon Guitars - Lowden offshoot looking to beat Martin and Taylor at their own game
Bailey Guitars - hand-built guitars and build-your-own courses
Mike Vanden Guitars - if they're good enough for Martin Taylor they're bloomin' well good enough for me!!!!
Northworthy Guitars - beautiful guitars built in the Midlands
Patrick James Eggle - Eggle founder, now going solo and back from a stay in the U S of A
Kinkade Guitars - established guitar building brothers from the Westcountry
Woodworm Guitars by Rob Williams - folk acoustic instruments from established UK builder
Rob Aylward - quality acoustic guitars from north of the border
Christopher J Eccleshall -
long-established builder based in Totnes,
Devon (a grand-daddy of Brit building)
Dave King - makes fancy parlour and small bodied guitars in Reading, Berkshire
KGB Musical Instruments - a wide range of acoustics, electrics and basses from Merseyside. By appointment to the Russian Secret Service!
Peter Barton - Beautiful high end acoustics and classical guitars from Yorkshire
David Anthony Reid - beautifully different acoustics from London, with a barrel-style arched back!
Jones Kendall - traditional models and wooden bodied resophonics
Hodson Jazz Guitars - Gypsy jazzers
Kevin
Chilcott, luthier
- also makes custom acoustics, with the "right" number of holes!
Pickard Acoustics - Mandolin, earl grey, hot!
A.J.Lucas, luthier - weird and wonderful (but especially weird) guitars!
Benjamin Guitars - some of Eric Roche's fave squeezes from the Sussex seaside
Atkin Guitars - eight different styles from the garden of England
John Le Voi - beautiful gypsy jazzers
Freshwater Guitars - beautiful folky instruments from bonny Scotland
Moon
Guitars - arguably Scotland's premier luthier, faves of Wet
Wet
Wet, Del Amitri & a host of others
Russ Wooton Guitars - old styles, modern sounds
Chris Shaw - a sound hole-less acoustic... what?
Cool Acoustics - high tech designed acoustics made from novel expanded plastic polymers! Very Star Trek! As approved of by Gordon Giltrap!
British electric guitar builders
Nathan Sheppard Guitars - new builder with a rising reputation
Patrick Eggle Guitars - one-time Brit-PRS wannabe now with an individual vision
Hugh Manson - guitar builder to the stars - John Paul Jones, Muse etc...
Maverick Guitars - British guitars designed to RAAAAAWK!!!!
Fret King Guitars - quirky, retro Trev Wilkinson designed Eggle-offshoot electrics
Burns Guitars London - recreating the classic British guitars of the 1960s (and Brian's "Red Special")
JJ Guitars - honorary Brit JJ Hucke builds a range of quality electrics...
Gus
Guitars - space-age chromium
designs: apparently Darth Vader plays one of these!
Legra Guitars - totally custom guitars from Essex
M.D. Guitars - more totally custom guitars with funky marquetry options by Martin Dixon!
KGB Musical Instruments - a wide range of acoustics, electrics and basses from Merseyside. By appointment to the Russian Secret Service!
Martyn Booth - the creator of the Yamaha MSG and top UK designer
Tito Dalmedo Guitars - custom rock machines!
Sovereign Guitars - reasonably priced British hand built guitars in two styles
Kim Webber Guitars - custom electrics from down in Zummerzet!
Feline Guitars - classic, modern and unusual hand-crafted British electrics (including "tribute" designs)
Kevin
Chilcott &
Royal Guitars - Are those sound holes or very bad
woodworm? By appointment to Wishbone Ash!
Woodworm Guitars by Rob Williams - Totally BRILLIANT Flash loading icon! Nice guitars and basses too!
Newton Guitars - handbuilt guitars and basses from the woman behind RainbowViolins.com
D.M. Guitars - a fine custom builder and renovator who also builds UK-spec Burns and JJ guitars
British classical guitar builders
Paul Fischer - merging top traditional craftsmanship with a 21st Century acoustic design ethic. Possibly Britian's best!
Ambridge Guitars - classical guitars from Dartington in Devon
Aram Guitars - Spanish & German influences designs also from DevonPeter Barton Guitars - classical and steel. A fave of Kate Rusby's
Brian Cohen - ancient and modern stringed instruments from SurreyChristopher Dean - Torres influenced classical guitars
Colin Morison - traditional, classical, flamenco and modern styles, including an amazing 12 string alto harp guitar!
Trevor Semple Guitars - a wide range of traditional style nylon strung guitars
Gary Southwell - from late 18th C designs to space-age, art deco styled classicals. The sublime to the... sublime!Cool and funky general guitar and luthiery links
Bunnybass - just about the most fun, most interesting and most informative bass site on the web!
The Monkey FX guide to effects - this is the most accessible and funniest guide you'll EVER read! Monkey magic!
Manchester Beat - Paul Mlynarz's fascinating history of the original (and best!) "Manchester scene".
Guitar internet - links to a range of different UK and other luthiers...
Guitar building links - does exactly what it says on the tin!
Tonetech Luthier Supplies - luthier supplies for the guitar-builder who has (or wants) everything (or anything)!
The
Acoustic Guitarists' Guild -
Yahoo talking shop for steel and gut
string players
G-man's Guitar Tips Page - More useful guitar stuff than you could shake several dozen sticks at! Ask the G-Man!
Randy's Guitar Clinic - another great place on Yahoo to chat guitar
Guitarsite database - huge list of guitar maker links...
British Guitars - good site dedicated to British builders (albeit with a few omissions! Where's Wal-ly?)
Harmony Central - of course...
JGuitar Chord Calculator - so just how do I play a "B flat demented fifth with a diminished responsibility"?
Links to information resources on the tone woods used in instrument building:
exotichardwoods-northamerica.com
www.bluebookinc.com - KnowYourWood
Harmony Central - Guitars, wood and tone...
Ken Smith Basses tonewood page
Luthier wood - Colonial tone wood
Hank's Guitar Shop, London - The best place in London's Tin Pan Alley for lovely acoustics!
The Bass Centre, London - the bass place, full stop!
The Acoustic Centre, London - See above... but with acoustic guitars instead!
Guitar Village, Farnham - a rickety, rambling little shop in Farnham stocked to the gills with guitar goodies
The Gallery, London - a bit of top-end bass heaven in NW1. Run by Martin Petersen of Sei fame.
Guitar Junction, Worthing - a great shop on the south coast with beautiful guitars run by some top blokes! Martin, Fylde & Overwater specialists
The Acoustic Music Company, Brighton - Brighton's best range of British and American luthier built guitars. Brook stockist.
Guitar Galleries, Addlestone - always something interesing or quirky to look at. Stocks J White guitars.
Vintage and Rare, Bath - a treasure trove of vintage guitar goodies. Like a museum of old guitars and basses
The Ukulele Shop - for all your online ukulele needs!
Other
gear I just
happen to use...
Trace Elliott - THEY'RE BACK!!! Peavey, thank you SO much for resurrecting these great British amps!
SWR - I've got a Workingman's 10, great little practice/coffee bar gig bass amp. Sounds NICE!
Marshall - great sounding and good value acoustic amps from the great British marque
Laney - more great sounding amps at mortal's prices
Award Session - Stew Ward is a pedal genius. His Jerry Donahue and Gordon Giltrap pedals are wonderful
Line 6 - PODs 'R' Us
Digitech - I've got an OLD RP6 multi-effects board. Still sounds good though
Boss - what more is there to say?
Lehle - not the Clapton track but very clever switching and routing pedals
Hiscox "Liteflite" Cases - what the best dressed guitars & basses are wearing this year. "Absolutely Fabulous dahling!"
Levy's Leathers - straps, gig-bags, stuff
Italia Straps - great value, hand made leather and suede straps - the best bar none!
Shubb - the best capos around!
Klotz - nice, good sounding, reliable cables without getting silly price wise
Whirlwind - ditto!
Planet Waves - ditto again!!
Yamaha - Their AW16G multitracker is an awesome piece of kit. Easy to use too...
JBL - some very nice powered monitors sitting next to my AW16G
Shure - industry standard microphones
Rode - stand-up condenser mikes from down-under
Norman Guitars - my wife's folk sized Norman is a bit of a beaut and sounds lovely too.
LR Baggs - quality pickups for acoustics. I love their Dual Source system
Fishman
- more quality soundhole/mic combo pickups for acoustics. The
Rare Earth range rocks!
Go to Basses page Go to Guitars page
The
boring legal bit... Naturally,
any comment on this website is
purely
my opinion and the links here are merely for convenience and the
interest
of those visiting this site. The inclusion of any web-site or
manufacturer
here should not be taken to represent any endorsement of their work
and
no responsibility will be taken by me for any actions as a result of
viewing
the links on this site. If you get an instrument from one of
these guys
I
hope it's a beauty BUT it is turns out not to be... such a shame
but
well it's your
risk!
Text ©Trevor Raggatt 2005