About

As an avid guitarist for the past 21 years, I have often found myself unhappy with the instruments at my disposal. This did not always go well for the guitars in question. As most often they were cannibalized for their better parts, in a effort to improve some other more fortunate instrument. Very often saws, Chisels, drills & rasps were involved & the offending guitars more desirable components would be extracted, the remainder then disposed of. This obsession continues to this day & as a result, AEolian Guitars represents my continuing efforts to build the perfect electric guitar.

The Frankenstein approach adopted when i was 16 has since been largely abandoned. But the odd 'BEATER' has been constructed over the years from various dead guitars to fantastic results. This was how I built my first real attempt at a full custom. stripping an old Fender Strat styled bright red horror. I salvaged the neck and got hold of some mis-matched Gibson parts, to build my version of an Explorer. A similar process saw me building a body to match a Squier neck and a floyd styled trem, to build my own green meanie (Check out steve via pre-ibanez for that guitars inspiration).

As the time went on I found myself tackling more complex projects for other people. Like neck repairs on badly damaged les Paul's. retrofitting floating trems onto hard-tail guitars, Repairing or replacing fret boards, Custom finishes, And the occasional complete custom guitar build.

Every project teaches you a little more, But repairs are always interesting. Getting to dis-assemble pieces from established manufacturers teaches you a lot about build quality (In some cases the lack of it) & about how guitars are made. I sometimes found it amusing how simply some models were made. Until I Had to replicate the part from a block of maple with hand tools and no plans, That is.

Today I mostly build one off guitars. I build them from scratch, combining only the best lumbers for tops, Multi-laminate necks & bodies, & making whole guitars from a single block of wood where possible. I try to use only the best hardware available & steer more towards tone & playability than just volume or flashy looks.
Repairs include a range of services for guitarists such as cleaning, General maintenance & setups. Although more involved repair work like rewiring, shielding, hardware replacement/repair (bridges, Pickups etc.) refinishing, Custom paint jobs, Head stock & neck repair are also undertaken.

As a Luthier, I cater to the needs of Guitar players who can not find the instruments they want with the larger manufacturers.

Paul McNamara.
AEolian guitars.