Stefan Sobell Musical Instruments hand made instruments, guitars, mandolins, bouzoukis, citterns.
My workshop is the Old School in the rural Northumbrian village of Whitley Chapel. It's made up of two handwork shops and a machine area, with space to stack and season the different woods. It's cosy and compact without being cramped, and has large windows with pleasant views over green fields.
The second member of the team is David Wilson, who finishes all my instruments (as well as those of most good builders in the North of England). He has his own workshop in Haltwhistle, a small town nearby, and also builds (and plays) electric basses.
My interest in acoustic instruments began in the British folk clubs of the 1960s. In those days of unamplified venues we were all searching for instruments with good power and tone; at that time there weren't many around. I experimented with the instruments I had and soon found that with a little thought and experimentation I could make a reasonable instrument sound considerably worse; a hard way to learn, especially when the modifications were non-reversible ...
Stookley Guitars:
My love affair with the Guitar dates back to my teen years when I received my first instrument a "Silvertone Electric" as a Xmas present and I have been enthralled with the instrument ever since. In later years I started designing and building custom guitars for individual clients as well as selling on the Internet under the banner of "Stukely Guitars". Over the years business has grown to the point where we have had to outsource some of our operations in order to keep up with demand and I am excited to showcase our newly designed Website, along with a new Company name "Stookley Guitars" and a revamped line of instruments. In the coming months we will be re-introducing a number of models including the Solo 1, Solo 2, X-Terminator, and the top of the line Soloist. Whatever your playing style, be it jazz, blues, country or rock I'm sure you will find a Stookley model just right for you and once you have played a Stookly you will settle for nothing less. Don't forget also to check our line of quality Guitars Parts to kickstart that special instrument project you have been puttimg off ...
Thorn Custom Guitars and Inlay:
An Artisan Deluxe is a carved top "semi-custom" guitar. Specifications such as neck shape, fingerboard radius, and pickup configuration can be customized to suit. However, wood selection is limited and the fretboard inlays are Firesuns only. Full paua purfling is standard along with inlaid logo and inlaid truss rod cover. The standard components, such as knobs, pickup covers, and toggle tips are plastic as found on most guitars.
An Artisan Master is a full blown custom guitar. The wood choices are practically endless. Most of the plastic parts are replaced with wood, such as knobs, toggle tips, back plates and tuner buttons. Firesun inlays are standard but custom inlays are easily possible. This is the ultimate instrument for customization ...
Koolau Guitar and Ukulele Company, Fine Handcrafted Musical Instruments made in Hawaii.
The Ko'olau Guitar & 'Ukulele Company is owned and operated by the Kitakis Family: John and Susan Kitakis, and Sons Noa (Bonk) and Andrew.
Ko'olau Guitars and 'Ukuleles are professional quality, hand crafted instruments. The shop is located in Kaneohe, on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, approximately fifteen minutes from Honolulu, at the foot of the the beautiful Ko'olau Mountains.
Materials used are all the highest quality available. Solid woods, locally harvested from the Hawaiian Islands are used to make Ko'olau Instruments such as Koa, Hawaiian Mahogany, Milo, Kulawood, and other exotic woods as available. Much time and care is given to each instrument to insure the best tone and projection ...