FINE STRINGED INSTRUMENTS BY SCOTT WISE

The last twenty years have seen a renaissance in fine stringed instrument making. In the early 1970s in the USA, Australia and other countries there were many young educated people who decided to turn their studying skills to lutherie - the craft of stringed instrument making. Through a few limited texts and information sharing organizations such as The Guild Of American Luthiers these people re- invented the craft, bringing in new technology and techniques at the same time as reviving old traditional skills lost in many of the factories which had dominated instrument making.

Through this new blood, lutherie is now considered by many to be in a golden age. Skill levels are as high as they have ever been in history and the precious woods used in lutherie are still available, though dwindling due to increased demand and higher appreciation for fine instruments.

Over the last 30 years I have listened to over 6000 instruments which have come through my hands for repair. I’ve studied and met luthiers in USA, Europe and Australia on many occasions. I consider myself to be always learning, but have become sure of one thing: Whilst the market for stringed instruments is largely determined by the advertising and distributing power of large organisations, the very best sounding instruments come from the workshops of individuals or very small groups of makers who have their hands on the wood from start to finish. It is not the way to get rich. The wealth is in the sounds of the instruments and the greatest pleasure a luthier can have can have is to hear them played.

Scott Wise has been repairing stringed instruments since 1973 and building them since 1978 in the south-west corner of Australia. After completing a science degree specialising in geology in 1973, Scott followed the logical path of working full time as a musician in blues bands, country bands, rock bands, recording sessions, folk clubs - whatever it took to survive. He was good with his hands, and soon found a demand for his repairing skills. This was helped by an ability to research gained at university, and the few lutherie books available at the time.

Whilst in Melbourne on tour in 1976 he was fortunate to meet mandolin maker Stephen Gilchrist and was able to work with him for a short time in 1978 in Warrnambool, Victoria. In late 1978 he returned to Western Australia and set up his own shop. Scott has been building instruments ever since, as well as continuing to play in mainly acoustic genres. Working as a musician has helped his lutherie a great deal. Working as a luthier has probably not been so great for the musician! Lutherie is very time consuming and can be damaging to the hands. It is nice, however, to eventually have all the guitars, mandolins, fiddles, tiples, ukes etc you could want!

In the 1970s, the isolation of Western Australia from the mainstream of instrument making tended to prevent specialisation in any one field of lutherie as the market was so small. There were a couple of older generation European trained luthiers, both doing good work and not at all interested in helping newcomers. Enter the Guild of American Luthiers! This organisation, founded in the middle 1970s was developed specifically to share information in stringed instrument making. It was and continues to be the lifeblood of luthiers working in isolation. In 1979, with no internet, no comprehensive lutherie supplies catalogs and few books available, the G.A.L was a wonderful inroad to all the resources for lutherie which have now developed to such a high degree. A look at these pages will show the variety of instruments made by Scott. His instruments have been in demand since he first opened his business in 1979.

Scott has been able to have some training in violin making in the U.S. Has also attended G.A.L. conventions in the U.S. and spent some time in Cremona, Italy in 1987 around the time of the Celebrazione Stradivariane 1737-1987. He now lives in Margaret River, at the very corner of South West Australia in a region known for its forests, fine wines and great surf. Still isolated, but a great and inspiring environment in which to build fine stringed instruments.