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The Founder
Norman Reed is the founder of the Totnes School of Guitarmaking. He has been an instrument maker since 1971. First known for his lutes and baroque instruments, he later became established as a maker of fine steel-string guitars. His workshop grew and diversified, providing in addition the whole range of modern guitars, from classical and flamenco through to electric guitars and basses. Commissioned work came, and continues to come from people attracted to the Totnes area by the presence of a nearby music college at Dartington and a flourishing folk / world music scene in the locality. A great variety of instruments needing repair, extensive restoration, or copying, began arriving at his workshop, all of them related to the guitar, though very different from each other - for example indian sitars, russian balalaika and south american chuarango, or mandolin, mandola, cittern and bouzouki. The experience he gained in working on these laid the remaining corner-stone for the unique course that is offered. Students can build a steel string, a classical, an electric, or almost any related instrument, according to their interest. Norman maintains an interest in the progress of the students at the school.
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The Tutor
Phil Messer is a former student of Norman Reed and has worked closely with him for 15 years. Much of this time was spent managing Norman Reed Guitars, a guitar workshop and retail shop in the same building as the School. There he undertook the constant supply of a wide variety of repairs, restorations and commissions. His particular enthusiasm for flamenco guitars led to his becoming a master of french-polishing. Before he took the course with Norman in 1988 he was at university studying electronics. He continued this in his guitarmaking, designing pre-amp products custom made in the workshop. The valuable addition he made to the tuition culminated in his becoming a full-time tutor at the school in 2001, and two years later he took over the running of the course.
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