News Archive 2022-2023

December 2022

Nothing much ready to go out this month as we’re just about to take our winter break so the news is going to be rather brief: I’ll just put up some photos of the workshop and surroundings. Andy’s been polishing so as one batch leaves the spray-room, the next batch I’ve just prepared goes in!

Musician Mandy Woods came down from Glastonbury last week for us to fit a Fishman Infinity in her Little Silver. Despite a mishap on the ice in our lane she headed off home again safely!

Entertainer, presenter, author and filmmaker Tony Lidington aka Uncle Tacko left his tenor banjo for some TLC – the celluloid fingerboard is coming loose and breaking up so we’re attempting to glue it back down and replace the broken sections.

Steve Yates brought in the second banjo of the month, this time a vintage five string Barnes and Mullins, in for a fret dress.

Andy repaired some finish issues on this Gibson Herb Ellis model.

One misty morning on the way to work.

The orchard on a frosty morning a few days later.

I’d like to introduce you to our tame seasonal visitor!

We’d like to wish all our customers and visitors to our site Season’s Greetings

And best wishes for 2023!

November 2022

We’ll start off with the two guitars we mentioned last month. Firstly Geoff and Dominique  picked up this custom Lamorna. It has a torrefied Sitka spruce top.

The walnut was from a tree felled in Dominique’s family home in France and Geoff brought over a board of it for us to use for the back and sides.

Jack inlaid these two swallows on the headstock.

Following that we have George and his left handed Weaver –

This has Tasmanian blackwood back and sides – it could easily be mistaken for koa!

Jack inlaid two selections from George’s late wife’s favorite painting, this on the headstock and the following image around the twelfth fret.

George wrote “I’m thrilled with it. It immediately felt comfortable and the clarity and depth of tone from the small body is outstanding – even on the upper frets. And, with the wood choices and Jack’s superb inlay work, it is a real beauty”.

Here’s Tony with his new Little Silver – expressing digitally how many Brook guitars he now owns!

We had a film crew over a couple of weeks ago to interview us for a documentary about our mentor Andy Manson.

Talking of Andy this is the latest of the Ian Anderson model that he designed and we build that’s going out to Jack in the U.S.

This close up shows the moustache bridge and pearl and ebony rosette.

Andy sprayed an attractive sunburst top on this Lamorna for Richard in Yorkshire.

Here’s a close up of the top and the custom shaped slotted headstock. We’re awaiting a delivery of Hiscox cases so we can send this off to Richard.

The same goes for this Taw for Andrew, coincidentally also in Yorkshire!

Here’s the Sitka top and walnut back and sides

Malcolm sent us this photo of Jamie, his fellow guitarist in Cable Street, with Jamie’s brace of Brooks that he uses exclusively (the Martin’s Malcolm’s!).

Martin’s an old friend from the RMMGA meetings in Buxton, he brought down the Lamorna he bought from Project Music for us to fit a pickup system.

Another sunburst – Andy’s spraying a Tele body for Matt, another old friend!

We had a couple more set-ups for Beth Gibbons – her Takamine and her 1999 rosewood and Sitka Taw.

If anyone has bought Brook tee shirts, hoodies or caps and would like to send us a photo we’d be delighted to share them in the monthly news, and if anyone would like to order one just get in touch with Zoe, Andy’s daughter, at oakridgeclothing@outlook.com

 

October 2022

We’ll start off this month with a couple of tasters for the November news so I won’t tell you too much about them until then! This one is George’s left handed Weaver

And this Lamorna is for Geoff, they’ll be picking them in a couple of weeks.

Ron collected the Carey we featured last month

And Mark came down for a set up on his Lamorna and brought along these very nice American custom Steineggers for us to look at!

Alan kindly sent us this photo of himself with his Lamorna and his Torridge, The picture was taken at Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire.  Any Brook owners who’d like to be included please do send us a photo.

We made a new neck for this yew Lamorna, John had flown over from the States and the neck had been irreparably damaged during the flight.

An interesting story with this ten year old Torridge – Phil took it with him when he moved to Australia seven years ago. A piece of metal furniture fell on the guitar recently and cracked the ribs. Phil was coming over for a meeting in Germany, took a detour to Heathrow and drove down to see us. Andy managed to repair the Torridge while he waited, then Phil drove back to Heathrow and off to his meeting!

Richard’s building up his collection of Brooks. His series of music books must be paying off! Here’s his latest on Joe Jackson along with the plan of the Bovey tenor guitar he’s just ordered.

You’ll see we’ve taken our in-house style guru Andy to the glamorous location of his workbench to model one of our new range of Brook merchandising. Should anyone wish to look similarly stylishly attired let us know and we’ll supply purchasing information.

More of this nice old stock Honduras Mahogany from Guatemala arrived last week. That should keep us going in necks for several months.

Here’s  a close up of the binding separating from the bodies on the Martins,

One here’s been repaired and going back to its owner, the other’s recently come in for the same treatment.

We built a new bridge for this ‘f’ style mandolin for David.

Richard has a couple of our guitars and he’s decided to sell the highly customized bubinga Lyn we made for him last year to help fund a bigger Brook model. If anyone would like to try it it’s here at the workshop.

A friend brought this around to my house to ask if it were worth us repairing it…..sometimes you just have to say no!

Lastly – a couple of photos of the orchard first thing in the morning

With the remainder of a very good crop of apples.

September 2022

Autumn’s arrived and despite the rain we’ve had recently our local reservoir’s water level is still very low.

Now, on to guitar things: We’re just waiting for the strings to settle in so we can set up this custom Carey for Ron who’ll be coming over from Dorset to collect his new guitar.

We inlaid a honeybee on the twelfth fret and a rose on the heel cap for him.

We’d like to thank Bendigo for this photo of his Brook collection! – left to right – a Lamorna, two Lyns and a Torridge.

This baritone Tavy has just gone off to Coda, tuned C to C with a 680 mm scale.

And this Teign is about to go to Project Music in Exeter.

Talking of projects, here’s one – we drew up plans for a small bodied five string bass for a customer, he’s chosen the fourteen fret to the body option, we’ll be starting it later in the year.

We refinished and set up this mandolin for Hannah, a local musician. She inherited it from her uncle who made it along with other instruments.

Andy’s just re-glued the bindings on this sunburst Martin CE0-7 and touched up the finish. We’ve another of these with the same problem arriving in the next couple of days.

For years now we’ve had customers asking for Brook t-shirts and sweat shirts, here’s the first of our samples, we’ll let you know when we’ve worked out the prices and postage.

We made up this wooden pickguard to cover up some pick damage to the top of this Tamar.

It was good to see Jim Causley and Trev Munkenbeck with Mariners Away featured on BBC Spotlight recently, Trev was playing his baritone Tamar.

August 2022

Kevin came up from Plymouth to collect his new Tavy

It has an Adirondack top with rosewood back and sides.

Jack inlaid this penguin on the headstock, it was the logo of Kevin’s parents’ shop,
there’s also a penguin on the heel cap!

The first ever European Fingerstyle Collective Guitar Festival is being held in Exeter
at the Phoenix between 9th – 11th September.

It’s not often you get a chance to see this many world class guitarists together over a weekend
so come along and support this event!

This Little Silver is Tony’s third Brook, it’ll be joining his two Tamars, one steel string, one nylon. This one has a rosewood fingerboard bridge and head veneer,

And the back and sides ‘fruit and nut’ – cherry and walnut!

This rosewood Taw will be heading up to Gordon in Scotland shortly.

A walnut and Sitka Taw will be travelling the shorter distance to Project Music in Exeter,

And this walnut and European spruce Torridge is now with Intersound in Dursley. 

Jacqueline Hemming Urquhart took this photo of Chris Norman playing his Teign in Tavistock.

Geoff and George came over to check how their respective guitars were coming along,
about another four weeks and they should be ready for collection!

We made this Lyn for stock, if anyone is interested just get in touch.

Andy resprayed this Precision bass fingerboard

And put back together this unusual aluminium Peter Kellett Strat after a tricky repair –
replacing the broken truss rod and fingerboard.

A personal thanks to Pat for his video greeting on a significant birthday for me!

He’s sneaking up behind me but won’t catch me!

July 2022

We haven’t many new guitars to show you this month as we’re in-between batches but a couple of Lamornas went off to the shops, this one to Coda

And Andy took this one with an interesting rosewood back off to Project.

Paul ordered his walnut Torridge from Project Music but wanted to look around the workshop so came down from Surrey and picked it up from us.

Phil McKnight sent us this photo taken when he was gigging at The Rum Diary Bar in Newcastle, New South Wales, he wrote “Greatly enjoying playing the little Becka you made for me, lots of curious punters after shows have been asking about it!”.

This Abbey‘s for sale, if you’re interested and would like to come and try it, just get in touch.

Richard thought we might like to see how well his twelve fret Taw has aged, you can see how light the sitka top was when he picked it up fifteen years ago!

He brought down this Martin for us to repair, the all too common problem of the binding separating from the main body of the instrument.

As I mentioned – Not many finished guitars ready to go out this month but here are the latest ones I’ve just put together, fretted and made up bridges for – just waiting to be strung up now,

While Jack’s preparing this batch for binding.

You may remember Geoff brought this walnut over from his property in France and we sliced it up. The Lamorna we’re making for him out of the wood is now in the spray room.

Also in the spray room Andy’s been preparing and spraying this Fiesta Red Strat for James.

We’re repairing a few dings on this pretty little Collings mandolin for Tilly

And we’ve just re-set the neck on this twenty two year old custom Torridge for Coda.

More next month!

June 2022

We’ve been here at Easterbrook for nearly thirty years, several years ago we mentioned how this lime tree had grown, time has gone by and it’s considerably taller…

Here’s the photo of Andy and myself in front it when it was a young sapling. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow, we’d like to think we can say the same for Brook Guitars!

Steve from the Bristol area should be down soon to pickup his new Blackwater.

It has a European spruce soundboard and Crelicam ebony for the back and sides,

With a sunrise inlay on the headstock and his initials on the twelfth fret.

Frank sent over this hard case so we’ve just sent his Abbey over to Germany.

We also sent this Lyn up to Paul in Oxford who, we’re happy to say, was quick off the mark when we asked for a photo!

The Lyn has a European spruce top

With this interesting set of English walnut back and sides.

We’re about to give this left handed Torridge a final set-up and label it,

Then it’ll be going off to Allan in Japan, It’s back and sides are from the companion set to Paul’s Lyn in the item above.

Ron came down from Dorset to check out how his nylon strung Carey was coming along.

He got in touch later to send us these photos and say” My wife thoroughly enjoyed the tour, it gave her an appreciation of the length of time required to build a fabulous, unique guitar. Thanks for everything”.

This Torridge is for a Project Music customer, he asked for this Celtic inlay on the fretboard and is planning on a trip down shortly to collect the guitar.

Another nice set of rippled English walnut for the back and sides.

This is the first guitar for Intersound for a while, a Sitka and rosewood Lamorna.

We have this European spruce Lyn for sale,

With rosewood back and sides.

John came over from the States with his beautiful yew Lamorna which, unfortunately, the airline managed to damage, We thought it might be a matter of just gluing it back up and retouching the finish but the truss-rod fixing has been knocked through the back of the neck so we’re going to have to replace the whole neck.

Not quite sure what’s going on with the signposts around here – they appear to be sinking! It’s tricky finding us at the best of times as the sat-nav invariably takes you miles out of the way, also to the wrong location.

However we are on Google Maps and, if you’re familiar with ‘what3words’, ‘implanted.song.lives’ will get you to the entrance to our lane.

May 2022

We made this Calder for Mick in County Durham,

Here are a couple of shots of the top from different angles showing the 12/14 fret body join and the sound-port

And here’s the ebony faced headstock with Schaller GrandTune Hauser style tuners with Snakewood buttons.

Mick sent us this photo and wrote “Just to let you know the guitar arrived safely last week and I’m amazed at the quality and sound.  I had a lesson recently from Steve Tilston and was so impressed with his guitar I ordered one when I got home. I can’t say enough about the quality of the sound, the guitar just rings with fantastic bass and treble – what an instrument! The quality and workmanship is absolutely top class. Thanks guys”

Frank will be coming over from Germany soon to pick up his new Abbey,

Here’s a close up.

Po had a Taw from us back in 2016, here’s his second Brook – a nylon strung Carey,

With a matching rosette and tie block,

Thai rosewood back and sides

And these elegant tuners with custom engravings of the Chinese and the Welsh dragon on either side.

This rosewood Weaver went up to Coda.

I forgot to photograph this one before it left the workshop so thanks to Lee from Project Music for this image of their latest Lamorna!

We’ve spent a while resetting the neck, making up a new bridge and generally renovating this Vega for a customer.

Andy fitted a K&K pickup on this Lyn.

We’re replacing a broken truss rod on this unusual Peter Kellett Strat with a rosewood neck, an aluminium body and this custom paint job.

See you next month!

April 2022

Kristi drove down from South Wales to pick up her custom nylon strung Carey,

Rosewood back and sides,

With an elevated fingerboard,

Sound-port and arm rest.

Another nylon strung Brook here for Alan from Somerset,

This time a Carey fourteen fretter with a cutaway,

A Sitka top, a very old set of Cocobolo for the back and sides,

With a rounded off plain slotted headstock.

Here’s a new model that’s just gone off to Phil McKnight in New South Wales,

It’s actually a slightly larger version of the Ian Anderson model we make for Andy Manson, Phil asked for this specific size, we’ve named the model the Becka after the diminutive Becka Brook on Dartmoor.

Ivor picked up the mahogany Lyn we featured last month

And Chris collected his cutaway Tamar, also featured last month!

Mandy Woods, a singer songwriter from Glastonbury, bought her Little Silver from Coda Music and brought it over to have a Fishman pickup installed. She wrote a blog about her visit and the Little Silver here

Charlotte picked up this Gibson archtop with an authentic Charlie Christian pickup & her ES 330 which were in for various repairs.

It was good to catch up with our friend Dave Carless the other week who brought over his twenty year old Taw for us to fit a Fishman Rare Earth Blend pickup.

TV’s latest album features acoustic versions of some favourite songs, there are photos of his two Taws – in various states of repair!

Lastly – over the previous months we’ve shown the snowdrops, primroses and daffodils, this month it’s the turn of this healthy carpet of bluebells!

March 2022

Ken here, with his trio of Brooks, came over from North Cornwall to pick up his new Blackwater,

And George drove down from Milton Keynes for his new Lyn, his fourth Brook!

This time with a Venetian cutaway,

A moon spruce top, rosewood back and sides, pyramid bridge and a K&K pickup.

This Lamorna has just been carefully packaged and is on its way to David in New South Wales, Australia,

Here’s a close up of the Sitka top and the dark reclaimed mahogany back and sides.

Ivor is coming down from Surrey next week to pick up his new Lyn,

Again it’s reclaimed mahogany, though from a different source than the previous guitar.

Chris is also travelling down from Surrey for his Sitka topped, 12 fret Tamar,

He asked Jack for a maple leaf design inlay on the fingerboard

And chose this exotic ebony set for the back and sides.

I was really pleased to get this note and the latest CD from American outsider legend Michael Hurley. He has a little Bovey we made for him and brings it out now and again to record with!

Gareth Hedges brought a Bert Jansch Foundation guitar round for a tweak before he recorded with it. This is one of a couple being passed musician to musician for ‘Around The World In 80 Plays’.

Gareth’s in good company, he picked up the Yamaha from Sarah McQuaid, just a few of the  guitarists who’ve already signed this one include Richard Thompson, John Smith and Michael Watts!

Talking of Yamahas – Bluesman Jeff Horsey brought his vintage one in for us to replace the bridge and give it a well deserved set-up.

Repair Department: Andy did an extraordinary job getting this J200 back in pristine condition – and yes we did put the pickguard back on, I just forgot to do it before the ‘after’ shot!

Nature Watch: The blossom’s coming out, along with primroses and daffodils, we’re hoping the cold spell coming up isn’t going to affect this year’s apple crop.

We’ll find out later in the year.

February 2022

A little late this year but It’s that time again – the snowdrops are back in the orchard surrounding the apple trees.

Ken, from North Cornwall, will be popping over in a couple of weeks to collect his second Brook, a Blackwater.

This one has a European spruce top, a snowflake fingerboard inlay,

Lacewood back and sides

And a stag inlay on the headstock.

Julian came down from Castle Cary to pick up the second lacewood guitar this month, a short-scale Lyn,

It had a wider 46 mm nut and we fitted a K&K Pure Mini pickup.

Here’s the lacewood back.

We had a nice spread in February’s Countryman magazine.

Our friend Martin Bell did a great job the other evening faced with the unenviable task of supporting the superb Clive Carroll at Alstonefields Village Hall. They also played a few numbers together, Martin was playing his bubinga Cary.

I’ve a soft spot for the old Hofners and have a collection of them so it was nice to see this 1959 Hofner Congress come in for some TLC!

We’ve had a few emails about these guitars being sold under the Brook name. It should be fairly obvious but we would like to reiterate – the range, made in China, are not our designs or associated with us in any way.

To get to the broken braces and splits in this Oakwood mandola Andy found the best way was to sacrifice the back and make a replacement after repairing the damage to the top.

More news next month!

January 2022

On the way home on our first day back after our winter break I came across this interesting view over the moors.

This Lyn‘s going over to Skip in Florida,

It has a European spruce top with a pyramid bridge,

English walnut back and sides,

And Waverly tuners on the squared off slotted headstock.

This 640/680 mm scale fan fret Tavy is for Steve in East Devon,

It has an exotic ebony back and sides with a maple laminated neck

And gold 510 machine heads, Steve asked for the last of the old logos to match his other Brooks.

Pat from Las Vegas sent us this photo of himself with the tallest Christmas tree and the shortest guitars on the fourteenth anniversary of the twins arrival!

Three Martins in for set-ups.

I’m sorry to say we can’t take on any more repair work until we clear some of the backlog, if you can be patient for a while we’ll aim to open our doors to this side of our business a little later in the year.

One of our customers brought this spalted walnut back from France, we’ve just sawn it into sets so he can choose one for his new guitar.

Woody Mann 1952 – 2022

It’s with great sadness we say goodbye to Woody, we met him first back in the nineties after he’d demonstrated our guitars at the NAAM show in the States. When he was gigging over here he called us and we picked him up from the local station and brought him out to the workshop. We made two guitars for him and kept in touch, and met up occasionally over the years. He was a genuine gentleman as well as being an inspirational musician.