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The  production of top quality concert guitars is no longer confined to Spain; they are produced all over the world – John Williams’  SMALLMAN guitar is built in Australia. English luthiers are now amongst the most sought after in the world and we were the first retail outlet to recognise the quality of guitars by Dean, Woodfield, Russell, Barton and countless others. After the years of dominance by Rubio, Romanillos, Fischer and EB Jones, new makers of promise and potential are constantly appearing in this country.

Current Stock

Instruments by the following luthiers are regularly available from the Spanish Guitar Centre: 

Middleton, Rik. He has been playing and perfecting the art of making classical guitars for many years and is the author of "The Guitar Maker's Workshop", a practical introduction to the art and skills of making classical guitars. Rik describes himself as a maker of traditional guitars, but like so many traditionalists he is "quietly innovative" inside the guitar. His output ranges from modestly priced concert instruments to guitars of the highest specification, beautifully crafted with the most exotic timbers. We stock his models in Indian rosewood, ripple mahogany and will shortly take delivery of a model in Rio rosewood and spruce. 

Ainsworth, John.  It is good to welcome back John's guitars after a gap of over 20 years. Having established himself as a fine luthier with instruments attracting favourable comments from Bream, Williams, Diaz and Ivor Mairants, circumstances forced him to pursue another career. He has now returned to full-time guitar making and his success continues. He builds in accordance with traditional Spanish methods and the strutting is basically Torres style, with occasional variations. When available, we stock his models built in Indian rosewood and English walnut.

Maer, Andrew.  He is an English luthier who lives and works in Spain. His early career as a professional guitarist was curtailed by focal dystonia - every instrumentalist's nightmare.  He turned his attention to guitar making and was fortunate to study with Jose Romanillos, who has returned to live in Spain. Andrew brought a player's insight to his construction of concert instruments and success has quickly followed, with demand growing for his guitars and many satisfied customers.

Fuller, Jake.  Jake also brought a playing ability to his skills in working wood and this led him to the London College of furniture where he gained a BSc in musical instrument technology. His aim was to produce guitars with great projection, but without sacrificing tonal characteristics. This involves considerable use of carbon fibre, creating uniform stiffness without adding extra mass. By introducing his own construction methods, which are very much in vogue at present, he creates guitars with unique character while retaining the qualities needed by the player. We stock his Rio rosewood models.

Mewburn, Stuart. He is a Canadian luthier living and working  in London. His guitars are light in construction, feature exotic timbers from his huge stocks and are among the most popular we stock. They are loud, responsive instruments and have attracted attention world-wide. One model  found its way to Los Angeles where the recipient described it as follows, “Never have I played a guitar that produces such an even tone across the lower and higher registers with such clarity and punch”.

GIVEN THE SMALL OUTPUT OF GENUINELY HAND-BUILT GUITARS FROM INDIVIDUAL MAKERS, WE TRY TO KEEP ALL THESE MODELS IN STOCK, BUT THIS IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE. EITHER ‘PHONE, FAX OR EMAIL US FOR DELIVERY UPDATE OF ENGLISH GUITARS.