On a Stockton industrial estate, tucked among the builders’ merchants, wholesalers and bathroom showrooms, sweet music is being created.
There Sam McClaren has his workshop where he handcrafts guitars which are being played up and down the country - as well as on Later With Jools Holland!
The 32-year-old luthier, who lives in North Yorkshire, has a career which perfectly blends two of his passions - music and woodwork. He started playing guitar at the age of seven and he discovered his love of woodwork while at school in Yarm. He says: “Yarm School had a great Design and Technology department and I really enjoyed it particularly once I got into the woodwork side of things. The main influence was my teacher who had built his own classical guitar and had another one half built. I was fascinated and my guitar teacher took me to see a guitar maker. So, while others at the school were taking the path of being doctors or accountants, I wanted to do something completely different. My parents were really supportive and said you should do whatyou enjoy.”
After leaving school, Sam attended the Totnes School of Guitar Making and keen to learn first hand, he visited established guitar makers to gain more knowledge and experience learning new skills.
Chatting to Sam it is clear that the luthier community is a supportive one. He says: “Guitar making is quite a lonely business, being in the workshop day after day. There are quite a few festivals where guitar makers can get together and everyone is always happy to chat about what we are doing, what is working well and what isn’t. There are not that many professional guitar makers and we’re not a competitive bunch.”
Sam’s skills have caught the eye of one of folk music’s hottest stars. Katherine Priddy was recently seen on our TV screens playing a McClaren guitar when she performed on Later With Jools Holland.
Katherine says: “I couldn't be happier with how it performs on stage. I have taken it on a number of tours around the UK and I am constantly getting people come up to me after the shows asking for more information about the guitar - the sound it produces in a live setting is absolutely brilliant and it's made soundchecking a breeze! Guitars are such a personal thing and getting a new one can be nerve-wracking when it's your living, but Sam is such a talented craftsman and pours so much passion into his work - he really understood what I wanted.”
It’s this satisfaction from a musician that is the driving force for Sam. “It was wonderful working with Katherine and the day or so after she picked up her guitar she was going on tour with Richard Thompson. I went to see her play live at the Barbican in York and I took my parents too. It was quite nerve-wracking but also a real joy to see her playing the guitar I had made and to see people enjoying it. That makes you want to get back into the workshop building the next guitar. The whole point of me going into this business was to see my guitars being played in concerts and the musician is the most important part of the process. Every guitar is unique - each one sounds different and has different characteristics.”
The attention to detail and focus on putting his individual mark on each guitar means Sam only ever works on two guitars at any one time. He has a pretty even split when it comes to making classical guitars and acoustic guitars. With a classical guitar taking two to three months to build and an acoustic guitar taking one to two months, Sam aims to build around ten a year.
With tools adorning the back wall, his workshop is packed with woods of all kinds including spruce, cedar, ebony and cocobolo. In order to dry out naturally, the wood stays in his unit for at least five years. This is not a quick process. It requires great patience and workmanship.
When I ask Sam if his guitars have a signature sound I expect to get a ‘technical’ response. Instead he replies: “I have quite an emotional sound and I think that is reflected in how I play music as well. I have always thought about the emotional side of things rather than just the notes on the page.”
With his commute to work playlist including everything from Eminem to classical guitarist John Williams with folk and blues added in, Sam has an eclectic taste. He can appreciate music of all genres.
He is hoping to join forces with other guitar makers in the region to create Guitars Up North. He explains: “Over the next few years we want to create a community for guitar players across the North East and North Yorkshire. We would have teaching sessions and workshops with a weekend retreat for songwriters. It will be wonderful to have that community established for people to learn.”
There is no doubt that Sam is hitting the right note and putting the North firmly on the musical map!
You can check out more of Sam’s work HERE
Header Image: Sam McClaren in his Stockton workshop
