Classical Guitars & Ukuleles Handcrafted By Mark Arnott

I have been handcrafting classical guitars for 24 years , I started off  playing electric guitar when I was 11 years old,  My love for Classical Guitar started after watching the Julian Bream TV series Guitarra  in the late 1970s , I was amazed by his guitar playing and not long after I started having classical guitar lessons, after several years of playing I wanted a better instrument than the £30 guitar that I started with , and not having the funds to be able to afford a Luthier built guitar I bought some timber , books and basic tools and built my first guitar and have carried on ever since .

About image
  • The Nook Top Barn Business Centre Holt Worcester WR6 6NH

Models I Make

Torres /Fleta /Lattice

I build in the traditional Spanish way using the Spanish heel method of construction working face down on a solera , I prefer to use only hand tools for every procedure using hand tools I believe is the only way to get the optimal tonal response from each component and the ideal thicknesses on the front and back to get the best balance between stiffness and flexibility which isn't possible blindly feeding timber through sanding machines . I Make three basic models at the moment ! The first is closely based on a Torres design which is available in two slightly different body sizes which have traditional 7 strut fan bracing . The second is based on a Fleta which has a quite large body . The third model is a Lattice braced but traditionally lightly built similar to my Torres model but with lattice bracing this can also be built in two different body sizes all guitars are standard 650 mm scale lengths other scale lenghths available on request ., fingerboard width is 52mm as standard but can be varied to customers taste . I have used various different timber types over the years and have had excellent results with all of them for backs & sides I have used Indian Rosewood Maple Wenge Walnut Padauk Mahogany For soundboards I use European Spruce. Sitka Spruce Western Red Cedar I can offer a good selection of different rosettes for the customer to choose from . The Testimonials Section shows genuine comments from previous customers . I use good quality Gotoh machine heads as standard which can be upgraded on request . The guitars are supplied with a good quality hardcase .