Colin Morison.
Luthier.

Career History

1991 - 93 Anniesland college in Glasgow :- Two years study of stringed Instrument Repair tutored by Bill kelday and Paul Hyland

1993 - 95 London Guildhall University:- Two years study of guitar construction tutored by David Whiteman and David Rouse.

1995 - Present After successfully gaining qualification in music instrument construction I proceeded to set up my own guitar workshop supplying shops around the United Kingdom. Subsequently Shops in Sweden, America and Japan also acquired Morison guitars.

Construction of the guitars is carried out in a humidity controlled environment using the best woods available. For the table I am happy to use either spruce or cedar depending on the client preference; both woods have their own merits and provide a very different result.

Indian rosewood is my first choice for the back, sides and bridge.

The density, weight and resilience of Indian rosewood suits my needs for the guitars tone. Honduras cedar is used for the neck to provide a stable, light neck which will not upset the balance of the guitar making it easier to play.

All materials are stored for at least five years before use to be assured they are stable and reliable.

Each guitar takes at least one hundred and twenty hours to complete, using the minimum of power tools preferring traditional hand tools to provide precision, care and sensitivity to create a hand crafted finished instrument.

I strive to create a tone that is of the later traditional guitars such as Herman Hauser and Jose Romanillios . These guitars offer a wide range of tone colour and depth while retaining a refined focus and balance.

From studying these makers I have adopted some of their methods of construction to help me in my own quest to build my ideal guitar.

Seven fan braces are used to brace the top though the arching of the top follows methods developed by Jose Romanillios. This method allows me to create a more sensitive top with a deep focused bass and bell like trebles.

Construction and design of the rosette is handcrafted using wood veneer of various exotic trees. I prefer to use the natural colour of woods where possible as this gives a natural looking rosette as apposed to using only dyed veneer which can look artificial.

The design of the rosette is important to me and reflect the instruments tonal quality; vibrant but with balance between colour and movement within the pattern.

My guitars are finished using French polish to give a finish which, reflects the grains depth, and brings out the natural character of the wood. I prefer to use the traditional method of dissolving shellac flakes in alcohol to be assured the polish is pure, fresh and of a desired quality, then applied using traditional methods.

Colin lives in the countryside of East Coast Scotland with his partner and three children.