Once Upon A Guitar…

Why do some guitars sound special? Alex Bishop considers whether there may be more to it than meets the ears

- Alex Bishop

This month the repair ‘department’ at Alex Bishop Guitars has seen the satisfying completion of a number of restoration jobs. As anyone who has dabbled in this field will know, guitar repair work is often riddled with unforeseen niggles. Manufacturers use a differing variety of designs, materials and methods to construct their instruments, so you can rarely predict with certainty how a job will unravel each time.

Included in my roster of recent repairs are a substantial rebuild of a 1970s Yamaha, an overhaul of a 1980s Japanese dreadnought, and the resetting of a neck from a 1960s Martin Coletti archtop. All the clients are unconnected to one another, though two common themes run through every one: each owner bought their instrument new, and all are fixing up their instruments on sentimental grounds.