Lockerbie Rotarians got a musical introduction to 2025 on January 6 when Kenny Hilsley gave a fine talk on guitar making and rounded the evening off with some finger-picking of his own.
Kenny started playing the guitar when he was 14, but he trained as a joiner and it was his wife who encouraged him to build his own guitar. He now makes bespoke guitars to order. His talk was imbued with his love of his craft, the love of wood and the detail of the instruments he makes. What looks like a simple and possibly delicate instrument must withstand forces trying to pull it apart. There can be 200lbs of pressure trying to tear the top off, and the neck is under constant tension.
The top and bottom are only 2-3mm thick, and the particular wood will define the final tone of the guitar, as well as the look. He often uses Western Red Cedar wood for the top and it is very easily marked.
A hard wood will deliver a harsher tone while an open wood, like mahogany, will tend to absorb the sound. He detailed how the sides were shaped and how top, sides and bottom were braced in a specific manner – a template developed by C F Martin, guitar maker in New York back in the 1800s.
The neck is laminated to give the strength and rigidity required for a pure note and is fitted to the body in a very precise manner. Usually, the finger board would be of ebony to withstand the wear it gets. Kenny’s guitars feature a neck with a separate head stock attached using a special joint.
All the while during construction the wood must be kept very dry before being glued together. Kenny uses true-oil to get the intense high-polish finish to the wood, and there can be up to 18 coats applied and rubbed off before finished.
It can take three weeks to dry properly.
He had brought along an example of a guitar he had made and concluded his talk with a short rendition which was warmly appreciated.
David Rothwell gave a very well-deserved vote of thanks for a talk which made all the members appreciate Kenny’s skill, patience, craftsmanship and musicianship.