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Our History
Back in the days of Harboursound 2002/03, an annual cultural event that brought many talented musicians to Albany, including artists who had performed at the Fairbridge Festival in the month leading up to Harboursound, one of the most innovative events was the Playmakers Workshops at the Vancouver Arts Centre (VAC).
Experienced and innovative luthiers and wannabe makers joined together for a weekend to hang out together and share ideas about all manner of instrument making, and for some of the players to perform in concert as a closing activity.
Combined with this event was an exhibition in the main gallery at the VAC to showcase a broad representation of fine Australian lutherie.
A CASUAL CHAT
In 2005 a few of those who attended Playmakers, and some budding instrument makers, got together to chat about getting a bunch of blokes together to learn how to make instruments. It was this chat that sparked what has blossomed into the rediscovery of the traditional art of hand-made stringed instrument making in the Great Southern region. Word soon spread.
Within a few months a local luthier, Alan Warburton, who had established a reputation for fine Classical and Acoustic Steel-stringed guitar making skills in Albany over many years, was approached to see if he would teach a dozen like-minded people the process of making their first instrument.
Alan agreed to the request, but could only commit his spare time to a six-month period. This time period was confronting for some in the group, whose fine woodworking skills were fairly basic.
Six months to build an instrument, we thought? ... a piece of cake! Many in the group had dabbled in home DIY projects and nearly all had done manual arts in high school, but for the majority this was several decades ago. We were in for a serious lesson in limitation.
FIRST NIGHT
In February 2005 Alan stepped the group through the various stages of what making an instrument would entail, and brought along a few of his own works to demonstrate and play. From that moment, even before we laid our hands on a hand tool or piece of wood, all in the group were hooked.
Out of that first meeting the group decided on building five steel-string and four classical guitars, a mandolin, a mandola and an electric bass.
We began to source designs and materials for our projects. It was decided to do a bulk order to an east-coast supplier, namely Gillet Guitars.
Alan had a number of moulds he had fabricated and made these freely available to the group; we also had access to a set of decent hand tools and, most importantly, a drum sander that would take hours off the arduous task of getting our raw materials to the required thickness.
What should not be underestimated is the amount of investment dollars that individual makers have contributed to local and metropolitan economies. Many in the group are known to spend locally on hand and power tools, and we purchase equipment and timber products from Western Australian franchises such as Carbatec and Timbecon in Perth.
An invaluable outcome of the formation of the group is the relationship that has grown with a Perth-based timber merchant, Mr Tim Spittle, who operates Australian Tonewoods in his spare time.
Tim’s passion in life is to make instrument-quality Australian timbers available at modest prices to luthiers around the world via his website, and he continues to support us by providing many bargains if we collectively buy in bulk.
Also of important note is that one of the legends of the original group, an experience and gifted woodworker and jig maker, has begun taking on commissions for the construction of several high quality stringed instruments.
ONGOING ACTIVITY
The absolutely most important part of being involved with the group is not only the bonding that is developing amongst like-minded luthiers, but also the sharing of new and innovative ideas in relation to contemporary lutherie.
Members of the group have begun sourcing suitable Australian timbers and a couple of members have begun to design and fabricate Appalachian Dulcimers and other more traditional instruments.
We continue to welcome new makers to the fold while supporting each other’s endeavours and experimentation; we inform each other of the latest bargains re tools and timber sources, and we continue a passion for making good quality stringed instruments.
 Five members of the initial group were invited by the Albany Woodworkers Group to show our instruments in their ‘Adventures in Wood’ exhibition at the Albany Boatshed as part of the 2007 ArtSouth Southern Art and Craft Trail.
The event attracted over a thousand visitors.
The general feedback from visitors was that there is a tremendous amount of community interest in stringed-instrument making.
Hand-made instrument making is a long way from being a lost art; it is a thriving and exciting medium for people of any age, who possess moderate levels of hand skills, to express their innate creativity.
Those in the original group were gladdened that the concept of including a Playmakers program as part of Harboursound 2002/3 progressed to the welcomed inclusion of the concept into the 2008 Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF). We got involved, even to the point of being included in a Radio National broadcast in May 2008 for the Into the Music program, and it was a hoot!
Our journey continues ...
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