How I Accidentally Went from Technologist to Guitar Builder

At the start of 2016 I’d not attempted any woodwork in over a quarter century, and today I’m now taking orders to build custom electric guitars, and my guitars have been on stage at the infamous King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow.

In the last two years in my spare time, I’ve gone from idiot to imposter. In this talk I’d like to explain that, if I can do this, then you can use the same approach to start something new too!

I’ll go through the evolution of being a new luthier (someone who builds and repairs guitars!), and the project planning methods I used to manage the process so that I didn’t give up or get frustrated, which you can apply when you want to dip your toes into a new field.

There will also be a bit of a show and tell about building guitars and amplifiers!

Michael Dales is a creative technologist with a passion for all kinds of technology and their impact. Over 15 years of experience in R&D, both in industry and academia, focussing on systems and networking, and always favouring practical implementation where possible. Well practised in both hardware and software engineering - and building guitars!