Basschat Yorkshire Bass Bash
The Basschat Yorkshire Bass Bash, which took place in Harrogate at the weekend, saw the area's bassists and basses get together. It was organised via the popular Basschat.co.uk web forum, and I was invited along to give a talk. For a bass nerd like me, it was great to be in ...
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February 16, 2009
Jim Fleeting Guitars in the Guardian
A very nice piece was written about me in Saturday's Guardian. It's a feature about people with "dream jobs". Before I began making custom guitars I used to work in a grey office fixing computers; I had my Eureka! moment halfway up a mountain in the Basque Country. (You can ...
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February 10, 2009
Guitar Repair: refurbishing a 1969 Gibson SG
Sometimes it's hard to believe what is on my desk. Gibson only made SGs with front accessible controls in 1969. It should have a bigsby trem, and a scratchplate. It should also have a fingerboard. What a mess. This customer bought the guitar as is, as he knew that this could ...
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January 29, 2009
Koa is my favourite wood
Koa is beautiful. It is full of rich colours, and the figure that can be found in it is as good as I've seen in any wood. I built this bass in 2005. The koa top has a subtle flame and a rich, brown colour. Koa (acacia koa) is a ...
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January 22, 2009
My latest acoustic build – progress
As satisfying as it is to build a guitar, there are certain moments that really stand out. The obvious one comes at the end: when you string it up, and hear the first notes from the newly-made instrument. Another great moment is when you apply the first coats of finish; ...
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January 14, 2009
New Nine String Bass
An exhibition called Guitars, made in Britain, played the world over, is running at the Hub National Centre for Craft and Design in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, until 19 January. It showcases "the very best guitar making in the UK" and the curator is none other than Gordon Giltrap: one of Britain's ...
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January 11, 2009
Repairing a Zither
Just a quick one about a very unusual instrument that came by the Jim Fleeting Guitars workshop, for repair. This is a zither. It is a folk instrument, played with hammers, and is a precursor to the piano. Other zithers include, amongst others, the hammer dulcimer. My job was to clean it, ...
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January 5, 2009
Welcome to The Luthiery Blog!
Hello. My name is Jim Fleeting. At my workshop in Ripon, North Yorkshire, I create custom guitars and basses for customers around the UK and Europe. I also head Jim Fleeting Guitars' thriving repair shop. The Yorkshire Post described me as the UK's most talented and innovative young guitar maker, which ...
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January 4, 2009
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