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In 1966, I began a three year apprenticeship in guitar making under
maestros Jose Orti and Jose Ferrer, at George Bowden's workshop in Palma
de Mallorca, Spain.
Both Orti and Ferrer
were members of families with a long-standing history in instrument
making. They taught me the traditional Spanish artisan's methods of
classical and flamenco guitar construction.
 I build my instruments
two at a time so I don't sit around and watch the glue dry. The models
are based on their design and not the woods used. Thus, a Mystery Pacific
model can have a spruce or cedar soundboard with rosewood or satinwood
back and sides. It
has the interior soundbox and reflector. The Belleville, Daphne and
Stardust models are also not wood specific. The only wood specific model
is the Fleche D'Or which has Mediterranean cypress back and sides and
an Alaskan cypress (yellow cedar) soundboard and Sperzel heads and matching
tailpiece in this years' colours.
It is the combination
of colours which give my guitars their unique visual character. Most
Maccaferri and Selmer copies are just that, they look identical to the
originals. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but the originals
were invented some 70-odd years ago and a lot has happened in guitar-making
since then. I have researched and worked hard to have my instruments
achieve the original Hot Club sound and that's the most important aspect
of course.
They don't have
to look like carbon copies. My guitars have a striking modern appearance
within this tradition. I try to do somthing a little (or a lot) unique
in each instrument. Someday I may run out of ways to do this but I'm
nowhere near out of ideas yet! There are still "undiscovered"
species of wood out there just waiting...
For more information
please contact Michael
Dunn.
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