Brian Monty - The Luthier
The fact that I have been playing guitar for over 40 years, and continue to play professionally today, means that I know what a guitar should feel like in the hands of a player. I understand how it should respond, how it should translate the subtleties and nuances from the fingers to the amp. What has always fascinated me is the sound generated by the fashioning of the wood itself, those first notes as a guitar is strung up to tension. To me, the guitar is a musical instrument that is meant to be played, not purchased and confined to a vault. I'm often told by customers that "from day one, their Monty guitar sounds and plays like
they've had it for 30 years"- perhaps this is because I transfer some of my soul into each instrument as I'm sanding and shaping it. With each guitar, particular attention is paid to the fitting of the neck to the body - otherwise the guitar will only be half alive. Every single component of my guitars, right down to the truss rod, is made by hand, in my shop. The necks are hand sanded and shaped, and all stains and colours are custom mixed to suit the individual shades and tones within the different woods, so each and every guitar is unique.
