Guitars for the stars
- Roger received an MBE for his guitar making, music and heritage crafts
- He makes instruments for folk, rock, pop and jazz professionals
- Roger uses 300 operations in the manufacture of an acoustic guitar
“I have a particular view of guitar making” says Roger Bucknall. “I believe it is a ‘calling’, a lifelong passion, a desire to reach ever higher standards. A musical instrument should have its maker’s personality in every component, and he has a duty to leave behind some contribution to his art, as has every maker before him.” At Fylde, at least 95 percent of the work is at the bench, with dedicated craftsmen working with traditional hand tools. The workshop has the best possible facilities and amazing stocks of the finest materials. The designs are the result of a broad technical training and research, coupled with 50 years of experience and development working alongside the world’s finest musicians, including Pete Townshend, Martin Carthy, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Gordon Giltrap, Martin Simpson, Eric Bibb, Nancy Wilson, Sting, Al Di Meola, Lisa Hannigan and John Smith.
Interview
- How did your lifelong passion begin?
- From the age of five, I have always enjoyed making things and been fascinated with how things are made. I built my first guitar when I was nine years old, in 1959, before I could even play. My father had a small workshop and basic tools for general household maintenance.
- When did it become a profession?
- In 1973, when I moved to the Fylde coast of Lancashire I set up full-time manufacturing workshop. Some years later, in 1996, I moved the business to the Lake District, in the north of England, where I found a new world of poetry and fascinating British history.
- What inspires your work?
- I am inspired by the music and the musicians I serve, and by the materials I use. I like to use natural timber, colours and grain patterns in a complimentary fashion. The guitars I make are related to English culture, literature and music: they all have names taken from Shakespeare’s plays.
- And what motivates you?
- My reason for doing all this is to hear the music played on instruments I have made, by people I admire. Also to approach the work with an engineering mind, alongside manual skills and artistry. Nobody understands how hard the work is: it’s physically engaging, dirty and dangerous too!
Roger Bucknall is a master artisan: he began his career in 1973 and he started teaching in 1973
Where
Roger Bucknall
