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Tom Sands

Tom Sands Luthier
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A new approach to a traditional skill

  • • Tom creates responsive steel-string acoustic guitars
  • • He worked as a cabinetmaker before becoming a luthier
  • • He established his workshop in North Yorkshire in 2017

Having studied product design at the Glasgow School of Art, Tom Sands worked as a cabinetmaker and created bespoke high-end furniture before deciding to move into making guitars. He trained under Ervin Somogyi, who has been at the top of his field for 50 years, before setting up his own studio in Yorkshire. He is learning to master what’s known as the ‘voicing’ of the guitar in the methods of his mentor. Fundamentally, the acoustic guitar hasn’t changed since its first Spanish iterations, but Tom is developing new methods of construction and decoration. He takes inspiration from contemporary product design, modern architecture and automative design as well as the teachings of Bauhaus.

Read the full interview

Works

  • © Tom Sands
  • © Tom Sands
  • © Tom Sands
  • © Tom Sands
Photo: © Tom Sands
Model S “White Label”

Tom’s Model S “White Label” is an experimental creation that challenges the traditional style of guitar-making, with a monocoque construction using Nomex honeycomb to maintain a stiff back and make the guitar lighter.

Length 975 mm
Width 365 mm

Photo: © Tom Sands
Model M from “The Tree”

This guitar was made, in part, from the wood of a tree with a genetically mutated grain figuring. “The Tree” earned its vogue status in the luxury woodworking industries when it was discovered in a forest in Belize in the 1960s. It is the only tree known to exist that exhibits the tortoise shell-like figuring you see on the back and sides of the guitar.

Length 1000 mm
Width 345 mm

Photo: © Tom Sands
Baritone Model L “Beverly”

This guitar was christened “Beverly” because it features two bevels, ergonomic features that allow a larger-bodied guitar to feel more comfortable when in playing position. It was Tom’s first baritone guitar and represents some of the most intensely challenging work he has done to date, both practically and intellectually.

Length 1100 mm
Width 365 mm

Photo: © Tom Sands
Model M “Red”

This guitar is an example of a completely bespoke instrument made to a client’s specific requirements. Tom’s brief for this piece was “earth tones”. The guitar is his favourite to date because of the extraordinary natural colours of the materials used, forging a portrait of almost painterly beauty.

Length 1000 mm
Width 345 mm

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