Australian Luthiers (makers of fine musical instruments)
Many players seem unaware that there are many talented luthiers in Australia who make beautiful mandolins, mandola, guitars, acoustic bass guitars and even double basses. Their instruments are all hand-made and are easily the equal of or better than instruments made in Europe, Japan and the USA but they are often overlooked, either due to ignorance or some form of "cultural cringe".
This page lists some of those wonderful instrument makers. Click on their names to get to their websites.
This page lists some of those wonderful instrument makers. Click on their names to get to their websites.
- Nick Carpenter lives at Mt Franklin, Victoria and has been making guitars and mandolins for over 30 years.
- Peter Coombe lives in Bega, NSW and has been making mandolins and mandola and guitars since 1994.
- Peter Daffy has been building guitars and bouzouki since 1992
- Paul Duff lives in Palmyra, WA and has been making mandolins, mandola, mandocellos and archtop guitars since the early 1980s.
- Greg Dunn lives in Hendra, Queensland and makes flatback mandolins in the Gibson style
- Stephen Gilchrist lives at Lake Gnotuk, near Camperdown in western Victoria, he is internationally renowned for his Gibson-style flatback mandolins
- Graham McDonald has been building mandolins, guitars, bouzoukis and other instruments for well over 40 years
- Richard Morgan lives at Mt Isa, Queensland and makes mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos and guitars
- Ben Puglisi builds amazing double basses in his workshop in Hawthorn, Melbourne
- Lawrence Smith works in Thirroul in NSW and has been making mandolins and guitars since 1989
- Andrew Tatnell has his workshop in Canberra ACT and makes flatback mandolins, mandolas and bouzoukis
- Sachar Amos ([email protected]) works from his home in The Basin, in Victoria. He is a highly experienced instrument repairer and maker. He is also a member of the Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra.
Bowl back mandolins, mandolas and mandocellos
Unfortunately there are currently no Australian luthiers who make bowl back instruments but hopefully this will eventually change.
Alfred Woll, a well known German luthier with over 40 years experience making bowl back mandolins and mandolas, has recently published a superb book in which he first describes the history of the evolution of the mandolin in Europe and then provides a highly detailed and beautifully photographed manual on how to make a bowl back mandolin. This is an absolute gem of a book for anyone interested in the history and/or construction of bowl back mandolins and hopefully it will inspire some Australian instrument makers to start building these instruments.
The manual is a hefty volume of nearly 2kg and can be purchased online directly from Alfred at https://en.edition-mando.de/bestellung/ The exact cost has not yet been established but will be somewhere around $AUD125, depending on postage and packaging costs within Australia.
Unfortunately there are currently no Australian luthiers who make bowl back instruments but hopefully this will eventually change.
Alfred Woll, a well known German luthier with over 40 years experience making bowl back mandolins and mandolas, has recently published a superb book in which he first describes the history of the evolution of the mandolin in Europe and then provides a highly detailed and beautifully photographed manual on how to make a bowl back mandolin. This is an absolute gem of a book for anyone interested in the history and/or construction of bowl back mandolins and hopefully it will inspire some Australian instrument makers to start building these instruments.
The manual is a hefty volume of nearly 2kg and can be purchased online directly from Alfred at https://en.edition-mando.de/bestellung/ The exact cost has not yet been established but will be somewhere around $AUD125, depending on postage and packaging costs within Australia.
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