London Bridge station on a sunny day

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This is a short blog to say that I've had my eye surgery, still waiting for the eye to return to normal vision and not sure if I will be able to return to guitar making some day.
If you've been building guitars using my book, "Step by Step Guitar making", it would be great to hear about your efforts, email me at docguitar at btinternet.com

Escape from Krasnoyarsk

Just been working through some ideas for a new novel and thought I would share it with you, a section at at a time. Below is the beginning of the story, all be it in first draft mode. If I can get an additional 5 followers on my blog  I'll post the next section, hope you enjoy the adventure and please tell your friends.You can find the story on my other blog at this link,




Hope you enjoy the story. If you would like to find out how Tsarina gets out of her predicament then become a follower on my writers blog at this link,

http://www.alexnwillis.blogspot.com/

Bread making, the traditional method.

Back to bread making this weekend. I am trying the Bertinet method, which I have been assured by his excelent book is the traditional way to bake real sour dough bread, so far it seams to be working, now to perfect the crust.
Spent the rest of Saturday working om my new web site, not making much headway, I will get back to it next weekend.
Spent Sunday morning at church, then on to daughter's to see grandson.
Sunday afternoon worked on my novel before going down to the allotment and doing some weeding oin the fruit cage, surprised to find strawberries undeerthe weeds, well they were growning quite high.

And its goodby from him.

As of the third of June 2011, the website WillisGuitars.co.uk is no longer. Having reached 65 i decided its time to concentrate on my writing, look out for my new website www.alexwillis.me, or have a look at my other blog. http://alexnwillis.blogspot.com/

Go Niners

What a day we had on Sunday. Up in the dark, even though we had had an extra hour of sleep and it was raining. Why you might add, afterall it was Sunday morning, with an extra hour in bed? Read on and I'll tell you why,

49er's fever, that's what got us out of bed and into the dark and damp

Southern Rail were doing maintenance on the rails on Sunday so we decided to drive to Polegate and leave our car there for when we returned. As I just said there was rail maintenance going on so buses were replacing the trains to Lewes.

I knew the day was going to be a typical  WFA, Willis Family Adventure when the bus driver went to start the engine and found the battery had gone flat, Nancy said he had probably played his MP3 too long.

Not to be concerned, we got off the bus and prepared to drive to Lewes, where we were assured there would be a train. But hello, as soon as we put our dainties on the wet Polgate car park a nice shiny double decker pulled into the car park. The driver informed us of his intentions to drive us post haste to Lewes and the train.

To Be Continued.........

Boo Hoo for Bournemouth

I am sorry to say that I have just been informed by the Bournemouth Literary Festival that my talk on the Saturday evening has been cancelled. But not to worry, I am still available to give talks on my experiences in the publishing business, please email for details .

What's up Doc?

Bournemouth Literary Festival Saturday 23rd October, that's what's up.
As I said in an earlier blog, I will be speaking at the festival on the Saturday evening. I will be talking mainly on how I went about creating and getting my non-fiction book, “Step by Step Guitar Making” published.
I hope to make the evening interesting by talking about my early experiences in getting magazine articles published, joining a writers group, entering short story competitions to help hone my writing style (finding my writing voice) to the final product of getting my book through to the second edition and briefly talking about what I am currently writing.
I will also talk about what processes the book went through in preparation for publishing and share some of my ideas on writing. I plan to have a question and answer session at the end and will take questions on writing as well as guitar making.
The room in the church where I will be speaking will be heated and refreshment will be available also ample parking is available.
The venue is, St Peter's Church, Hinton Road, Bournemouth BH1 2EE at 7p.m. Tickets are £3.50 each.
For more details and to book tickets, please contact John Houghton. For Festival information click Information Bournemouth Literary Festival.

A Yandle of a weekend.

It's 10.30pm and I have just returned from Yandles Autumn Show in Martock Somerset. I was there at the request of the publisher of my book, Step by Step Guitar Making. They had invited me to sign copies of the revised edition of my book, and to do demonstrations of some of the aspects of guitar making.

The bulk of demonstrating consisted of bending Mandolin and Bouzouki ribs, now I've got no excuse for not getting them finished. Those funny things on the end of my arms are gloves, the bending iron is 140 degrees and even though it said HOT HOT on the top, someone had to touch to find out, no it wasn't me.

Tony from GMC was a great help, he also took all the photos, that's him in the photo making sure my guitars were in tune.

The folk at Yandles are really great, I was made to feel really welcome and I look forward to going back to do more demonstrating in the Spring, if invited.

A couple of weeks ago I got back into bread making. Marc and Andrea had paid us a visit while they were in the UK and after talking with Marc, a master bread maker, I was encouraged to try again. Below is the latest loaf. I am going to use the same recepie for the next few loafs and get my confidence before I experiment with variations, bon apitite.

Extract from the Introduction, Step by Step Guitar Making (Revised)

When I wrote the first edition of Step by Step Guitar Making, I didn’t realize it would be so popular, selling over 7,000 copies worldwide. Since its publication in 2006, I have met many first time guitar makers and been amazed at the quality of their first guitars. I have received many emails and read many of the comments posted on websites, forums and in published reviews.

In this, the second edition, I have attempted to address these comments. You will find new information on tools and jigs. There is a revised chapter on the neck and endblock which includes details on how to make bolt-on mortise and tenon, and the ubiquitous dovetail neck joints.

Within the neck and endblock chapter I have also included details on how to make different head designs, including slotted head for both early steel string and classical guitars.

At the end of the steel string soundboard chapter I have provided several pages of information on classical guitar soundboard bracing which includes instructions on how to make your own classical guitar rosette.  

In the chapter on assembly I have provided information on how to develop a template for the final shape of the rib.

New to the second edition is instructions and advice on cutting and inlaying a simple mother of pearl shell design.

For those of you who are not satisfied with making just one guitar I have added suggestions on other instruments you might like to make once you have completed your first guitar, such as a mandolin.

The section on finishing has been fully revised and updated.

Setting up now includes advice on how to install an under saddle pickup.

The book concludes with help on trouble shooting your new guitar where you will also find new information on the care of the instrument, including travelling with and shipping your guitar.

If you are really eager to get your hands on a pre-release, signed edition, come along to Yandle's autumn show next week, GMC will have plenty of copies of the book on their stand. I will be there demonstrating guitar making and look forward to answering your questions on guitar making.

No more excuses we're back on blog

Thanks to the ministrations of chief Weber Veronica The Great my blog is back in business, thanks Vron.

First, I have been busy selling my guitars and currently I only have two in stock. One is an early 000 Indian rosewood acoustic and the other is a Brazilian Rosewood OM cutaway, please enquire for prices.

Under construction is a Brazilian OM cutaway and next in line is a F5 mandolin. When I get time I will get back to a couple of parlour guitars, a classical and a bouzouki.

I have not been attending any folk festivals this year. Instead I am concentrating on completing my first novel, making new instruments and catching up on orders. I will also be promoting the revised edition of my guitar making book Step by Step Guitar Making (Revised) at the venues listed below.

Yandles Autumn Show 2010.

Martock, Somerset, September on Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th 2010
I will be demonstrating guitar making as a featured demonstrator for GMC Publications (+44 (0)1273 477374 General Enquiries) and signing copies of my book Step by Step Guitar Making (Revised) at Yandles in September 2010 (September 9th and 10th) Information Yandles.

Bournemouth Literary Festival

Bournemouth, Dorset, 23rd October 2010
I will be giving a talk about making guitars and about my experiences of writing and getting a non-fiction 'how to' book published. I will have copies of my book, Step by Step Guitar Making (Revised) with me, along with a few of my remaining copies of the first edition of my book for sale. The venue is, St Peter's Church, Hinton Road, Bournemouth BH1 2EE at 7p.m. Tickets are 3.50 each. For more details and to book tickets, please contact John Houghton. For Festival information click Information Bournemouth Literary Festival.

Extract from Festival website.
Writing and publishing a 'How to book' by guitar and lute maker by Alex Willis, A craftsman in wood, Alex has in his time built his own ocean going yacht. These days he builds finely crafted bespoke guitars and lutes. His superbly illustrated book, Step-by-step Guitar Making is a best seller in its field. Enjoy a relaxed evening listening to Alex talk about his work both as a craftsman and a writer, and see samples of his instruments. A must not only for guitar enthusiasts but for all who fancy writing a 'how to' book and who wish to know how to go about it.

Just realised that as I sit here and edit this blog it is the first night at Towersey Folk Festival, hope someone is making coffee for Colin.

Westham sunset late in November 2008


I'm back, well I never really was away, just been incredibly busy. Towards the end of 2009 I started on a series of guitar making articles that I hope to get published. I plan to post some of them here in the next few weeks.

I have only four more chapters to write in my novel, then it will be time to re-write the whole manuscript before handing it over to the editor.

This guitar is called "Olivia", she is a 615mm scale length, 12 fret parlour guitar. Olivia has been to most of the festivals in 2009 and now is seeking a nice friend to take her home with them. She is modelled on an 1840's Italian parlour guitar that I restored a few years ago. The body is made from highly figured Cocobolo, the soundboard is Sitka spruce. The neck is Brazilian mahogany and the fretboard is ebony. Tuners are by Rubner and the gear ratio is 15:1. The sound of the guitar is bright and cheerful. This demonstrator guitar comes with a hard shell case and all for £1,200.00.

Towersey Folk Festival was another enjoyable weekend, especially when Martin Simpson stopped by and gave us an impromptu concert on "Ursula" a 00 12 fret neck guitar. This 00 guitar is the first in this style that I have made. The body is Indian Rosewood and the soundboard is AA Western red cedar and sports an ebony pyramid bridge. The neck is Brazilian mahogany and the Fretboard is ebony. The tuners are made by Rubner and the gear ratio is 15:1. The guitar scale length is 635mm. Decoration is abalone purfling on the body and soundhole, the logo lettering on the head is hand cut gold MOP as is the inlay on the fretboard. Ursula is supplied in a gig bag and can be yours for the introductory price of £1,400.00.

The year ended like it began with snow and 2010 is following with a vengeance, anyone seen Al Gore lately?

I plan to attend the regular folk festivals again this year and I have been reliably informed that the Acoustic Guitar Show is on again this year in Cheltenham, although at this moment I do not have any dates for the show. There is one other event that I hope to be at but I cant say where till I get more details from the organisers.

This year I have stepped down from membership in the Sussex Guild although I have been invited to be a guest exhibitor on Saturday and Sunday at Michelham Priory.

As I look forward to the months ahead for 2010, I see that this year will be the busiest in many years. As well as all the festivals that I will be attending I am also off to California to celebrate my Dad's 90th birthday in June. While in the USA I hope to drop in on friends in Portland, that's you Dave and Dianne.

Hey Dobbin, where's the global warming then?

Currently under construction in the workshop for me to take to shows and you to take advantage of the demonstrator prices are:

• Indian Rosewood and Spruce Classical guitar
  
• Sycamore and Spruce Mandola
• Sycamore and Spruce Bouzouki
• Walnut and Cedar Tenor guitar
• Cocobolo and Spruce Parlour guitar
  

Currently under construction in the workshop for customers are:

1. Indian Rosewood CM/C for a singer songwriter who is off to Nashville in April.
2. Brazilian Rosewood OM/C for a very fortunate certain son, delivery scheduled for May.
   

Just repaired in the workshop

• Yamaha with broken neck. Neck was glued and pined with SS pins
  
• Classical needed new saddle and setup
• Fender Strat respray
• OM with split body. Re-glued and pined.
• Parlour guitar with slipper heal, neck re-set.
  

Global Warming?

What Global Warming?
An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore?

Global Warming

Bah

HUMBUG

What a summer I have had. This time last week I was sitting on train going from Edinburgh to Glasgow. I was in Scotland for a long weekend. My Aunt who lived in the USA for many years passed away a few months ago and my Uncle and cousins came over from California to bury her ashes in the family grave in Port Glasgow cemetery. Other than the solemnity of the service I had a lovely time. I got to meet my cousins for the first time in 30 years. I stayed with my sister in Edinburgh and commuted by train to Glasgow when the occasion arose.


I had breakfast at The Elephant House, the same café where JK Rowling, Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall-Smith have frequented. I found Edinburgh to have a perfect writers atmosphere, very tempted to move there to write. They have a livecam in the cafe so you can see how busy it is and how long the que to get food is.
http://www.elephanthouse.biz/livecam.html

This mp3 track just keeps running all through my mind. It is Eric Satie's Gymnopidie 1 by a brilliant group called Amarcord Wien. It's available to download from Amazon. co.uk. 02%20-%20Gymnopedie%201.mp3 . Mum turn on the speakers and click on the link, it should play automatically.


While in the wonderful city of Edinburgh, I went with my sister to see my nephew Campbell.
Campbell recently started baking at Peter's Yard Artisinal Swedish Bakery in Edinburgh, bread that's inspired by Jan Hedh, Swedish Master Baker. He made two pizzas for us and they were delicious.

I have finally completed my three thousand word short story for a writing competition, it is due in November, the last for the year. I sometimes think if I had put this much effort into studying at school I might have been a teacher or maybe a politician when I grew up, yuck, glad things turned out as they did.

Just as well I have finished the short story as I have found an editor for the manuscript of my novel, so now I have to get busy with the last four chapters and the inevitable re-write of the manuscript before handing it over to be edited. Then it's time to find a literary agent, anyone interested in being my agent? Just email me if you are. I am also about to start on another book that needs to be complete for next September, so it looks like I will be getting callouses on the finger tips from typing instead of guitar playing.

Just sent of my booking for the Tenderden Folk Festival. I will only be there during the Saturday.
Click on this link for more information,
http://www.btinternet.com/~folkspots/trust/fest09/index09.htm