It takes the experience of building many instruments to understand how different materials react with one another to produce the tonal colouring of a finished instrument. I tend not to use lavishly figured or ornate materials for acoustic instruments. With careful and considered design, I try to select materials that work together to produce an instrument with stunning visual appeal and balance, an instrument that sings to you, rather than shouts.
Other than preparatory work of raw materials I prefer to build my acoustic instruments with little intervention of heavy machinery. Traditional handwork may be slower than more modern or component based production but it does allow far greater flexibility and choice to fit the task in hand, ultimately resulting in a superior instrument.
