I know the real topic is deans guitars.
But the emerging topic is how many musical enthusiasts brewers there are...
Here's my bass, which i made when i was completely broke, and did completely on bits and pieces without compromising on quality. For example 4 string hohner bridge was gonna set me back over $600 and i couldn't pay bills at the time. So in a stupid idea of desperation I went into a newsagents, looked up the hohner phone no. in a guitar mag, rang them, somehow ended up at their warehouse, and the guy sent me out the 5 string tuning bridge for $40 in an envelope!
The carving is from Kenya. The thought of putting the carving on the end the way old viol de gambas used to be carved was what started the whole idea.
I also make harps, which started as ignorance (that'd be easy! Just a triangle with strings on it...) By the time i'd researched what was involved i had plans drawn up and timber sitting round and no idea how to do woodwork at the time... That's what started the journey.
A cabinet maker friend, himself taught by an old man in Tassie, offered to teach me. We spent the first day sharpening tools and cleaning the shed, me thinking, damn,we'll never get this thing finished. After a few weeks i learnt to love the process, the tools, the timber, the sound of a well-sharpened plane shearing across the wood... And i started to tap into something very ancient in the rhythm of apprentices.... I began to see life is about journey, not destination.
And doesn't brewing for most people start off as, 'damn i'd like to make some cheaper or better beer' and end up as a love of everything about the process?
Ok, sorry for the off-topic rave.
