Oliver Marchant
I built my first guitar in 2013 and have been slowly refining my skills and designs since then, as well as learning about the guitar by undertaking repair and set up work. I studied art and design at the University of Creative Arts in Farnham and draw on a wide variety of influences and interests in my work. I am based in Farnham Surrey.
Why Buy Handmade?
I make every part of the guitar apart from the frets and tuners. Much of the work is done by hand with traditional tools, not to be antiquated or quaint but because often it is the best and most accurate way to work.
I do not think that it can be overstated just how beneficial it is to have a single person take an instrument from initial design, through construction and voicing to final finish and set up. It ensures that equal care and consideration is taken at each stage and eliminates the compromises necessary in larger scale production. It also means that the whole process can continually be improved, utilising modern and traditional thinking in guitar structure and design which would be prohibitively expensive at scale (see more about this on my process page). Every detail from aesthetic to functional is constantly considered, refined and fit to the customer’s needs. This is to give both the best designed object and the most responsive instrument possible.
More broadly it also feeds into a larger resurgence in craft and handmade objects, which is a refreshing counterpoint to the ubiquity of poorly designed and soulless mass-produced products. We spend our whole lives surrounded by made objects; character, care and refinement are important and I think they take on greater value when applied to something as personal and seemingly alive as an acoustic instrument.