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About

About the Company

Responsive Handmade Guitars Made by Luthier Ash Nightingale

I am striving to build some of the finest and most responsive handmade guitars that the world has to offer. I am constantly studying and consider myself a lifelong student of this craft.

Before launching Nightingale Guitars I completed a formal apprenticeship in Joinery with a small firm producing one off bespoke items. We made everything from high-end staircases through to fine furniture. This gave me a solid foundation in woodworking and experience working in a professional workshop environment. I also trained with esteemed cabinet maker David Charlesworth in 2014. This was really where my obsession for precision woodworking began.

I started building guitars in 2015 at the age of 23. This came from a passion for music and fine woodworking. I love putting my creativity into an item that is then used by someone to also be creative with. This philosophy carries through until today, I want to create guitars that unlock new levels of creativity for the player.

Build Philosophy

I am always searching for the finest materials, figured wood, one of a kind inlay material, hardware and cases to make available to my clients. I believe the back and forth which often happens throughout the build really helps each client to feel truly connected to their instrument. As a result each guitar is one of a kind.

I build my guitars with the player in mind, my priorities in order of importance are playability, tone and aesthetic. A guitar should not only look beautiful, its main purpose is to create music. Equally you can have a guitar which sounds amazing but if it feels uncomfortable it will likely not get played. For this reason I have arrived at quite definite ideas about my construction methods, I have focused on each component of the guitar to optimise its performance.

Here are just a few examples:

  • the necks of my guitars all have an elevated fingerboard with carbon fiber reinforcing rods extending over the body. I feel this gives me greater control over the shape of the neck and also prevents the the common “lump” that appears at the neck to body joint on many guitars.
  • all my guitars come with laminated sides. This makes the rim assembly extremely stiff whilst remaining fairly light weight. The rim should not absorb energy but provide a solid anchor for the top and back to allow them to vibrate freely. I also exclusively use solid linings instead of kerfed for the same reasons.
  • I build my guitar tops very lightly with my variation of the traditional X brace. They are thicknessed to a target deflection rather than thickness, a method developed by Ervin Somogyi.
  • I use a wider 6mm bone saddle which allows for greater control of intonation at the bridge. The nut is also intonated on all of my guitars

The Company Today

In November 2020 Nightingale Guitars moved from Cornwall to Stroud (near Bristol). This included signing the lease on a 50sqm commercial premises. This moment was my transition from part time to full time Luthier and Repairman.

2021 was all about stepping up the game, I took a short pause from guitar building to develop and release 4 brand new models. These models make up the ‘official product offering’ of the company. I want to offer an understandable range across 4 sizes, 14″, 15″, 16″ and 17″ so I have something for everyone. So the N360, N380, N400 and N430 were born. The N stands for Nightingale and the number relates to the millimetre measurement of the lower bout. If a cutaway is added to the Guitar the letter F (for florentine) or V (for Venetian) can be added to the end of the model number. The first new guitars can be expected Spring/Summer 2022.

I’m stepping away from my Past Portfolio to focus on the new models. This is a necessary step for the company to only release work which is the most up to date in terms of design, build and innovation.

A Note About Guitar Repair

My dream is to spend 100% of my time building beautiful guitars. So I admit I was a little reluctant to do guitar repair at first. Its something that has evolved naturally over time. However the more repair I do the more I appreciate it. First and foremost it keeps me in my workshop where I belong. It also provides valuable cash flow to the business without which I couldn’t survive. I have now setup and repaired over 100 instruments.

Something I did not expect about guitar repair is that it now informs my build process. I get to see what works and what doesn’t, What stands the test of time. What treatment of the neck and frets stays true. Which internal bracing best supports the structure of the body over the years. Some of the build methods I have chosen to use now are a direct result of things I have seen in my repair work. Either things that worked, or things that didn’t. Its all useful information.

My Interview with GuitarBenchMagazine:

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This is a pretty typical scene for me right now. M This is a pretty typical scene for me right now. My wall of templates is growing steadily and you can even see the dog (bottom left). 

At this stage everything is braced and the carving process has begun, started with shaving all the braces down to the correct height and then scalloping the brace ends (as shown in my last reel post). 

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Carving spruce with a sharp chisel is always such Carving spruce with a sharp chisel is always such a joy. 

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How many days have I spent making jigs recently? . How many days have I spent making jigs recently? .......too many. These are the cauls I made recently that will be used to glue the top and back to the rims. This will be done using the go bar press. The cauls are reversible and have the option for cutaway or non cutaway versions of my guitars. Sometimes making a good jig you can use again and again pays off in the long run, I'm 'investing' my time. 

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Preparing enough laminated material for 4 bridge p Preparing enough laminated material for 4 bridge plates. Currently I'm using spruce and maple. This keeps the bridge plate nice and light but strong. I'm using the same materials for all my builds in the interest of consistency. I want all my tops to be as similar as possible in many ways so I can quantify what changes i make are having a positive effect on the sound. 

#handmadeguitar #handmade #luthier #luthiersofinstagram #whatsonyourbench #guitarporn #guitarbuilder #guitarmaking #guitarmaker #iheartlutherie #boutiqueguitar #guitarsofinstagram #highendguitars #laminated #bridgeplate
The soundhole reinforcement braces are the only on The soundhole reinforcement braces are the only ones I carve before gluing in place. This is because they're tricky to get to afterwards and they don't particularly play a role in voicing the top, so they are made to a set size and shape. I've got some special go bars that help with the gluing process. 

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Tops and backs being braced at the same time using Tops and backs being braced at the same time using the go bar press. 

In the final picture you can see the main X being shaped into the radius dish. 

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The back bracing process, first the spruce strip i The back bracing process, first the spruce strip is added to reinforce the center joint and then shaped, then the braces are let into this strip. 

The underside of the braces are shaped to match the dome of the back and then glued in place using the go bar press. 

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This is the start of the bracing process. Firstly This is the start of the bracing process. Firstly I allocate bracewood to specific guitars based on each piece's specific characteristics. Next the notch is cut and the X's are joined, one for the back and one for the top. 

I'm a little behind on posting right now, sorry, but expect to see more photos of the bracing process coming very soon 🙏

Hope you are all doing well. 

#handmadeguitar #handmade #luthier #luthiersofinstagram #whatsonyourbench #guitarporn #guitarbuilder #guitarmaking #guitarmaker #customguitar #custommade #customacoustic #acousticguitar #iheartlutherie #luxury #luxurygoods #boutiqueguitar #guitarsofinstagram #highendguitars
The linings are flushed to the top using a block p The linings are flushed to the top using a block plane and a radius dish. At this stage they're ready to receive the top and back and have the braces notched in. I went for decorative linings on the special milestone build. I think they look quite cool 😎. 

#handmadeguitar #handmade #luthier #luthiersofinstagram #whatsonyourbench #guitarporn #guitarbuilder #guitarmaking #guitarmaker #customguitar #custommade #customacoustic #acousticguitar #iheartlutherie #luxury #luxurygoods #boutiqueguitar #guitarsofinstagram #highendguitars
Using a go-bar deck to glue braces onto the top. Using a go-bar deck to glue braces onto the top. 

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