Simon Jones
- the founder of SGL Guitars
I have been making, repairing, customising
and servicing all types of stringed instruments for around 31 years but professionally for the past 28 years. In that time I have probably
repaired/serviced over 16,000 instruments ranging from guitars, basses and double basses... electric and acoustic, mandolins, violins,
bazoukis, classical guitars, Welsh harps, cellos, banjos and many
more.
The
bulk of my work is with electric and acoustic guitars and basses
with between 30 and 50 instruments passing through the workshop
in a typical month.
The top
four instruments that consistently take up the workbench are probably
electric guitars, acoustic guitars, electric basses and classical
guitars
Workplace
For those who have visited me, I am probably well known for my one-to-one
customer service, an abundance of unlimited advice.
Things changed fairly recently and I have relocated my business from my native town of Swansea to Baffins in Portsmouth with my wife and 10 yr old daughter.
My customers
used to be primarily based in the South Wales area but word seems
to travel and SGL Guitars has gone very much National with referrals from professional and amateur musicians
all over the UK. The website has played a particularly helpful role in that respect. This is very important
as most of my work has been, and still is through referral and this
can only be achieved through reputation alone...
... the secret is that I insist on using only the best parts and
materials available and constantly strive for perfection in my work
and offer an abundance of useful technical advice on offer to all
who meet me... whether they want it or not!
The Mary Rose
My main involvement on the recovery of The Mary Rose was as a member of what was initially a four-man team that we called the "Dismantling Team". Our job was to carefully remove large and heavy contents from the wreck such as the iron and bronze guns, hundreds of canon balls, anchors and any parts of the structure that might hinder the recovery operation.
During the final year, the team was extended to 12 divers and our job was now to remove any remaining heavy stuff and prepare the ship for the big lift. This consisted of lowering stage 1 of the lifting frame over the wreck and tunnelling under the hull to fit indiviually and precisely made cables from the frame, down to the hull and through major structurally sound sections, secured from underneath the wreck with a large metal pad and a bolt.
Then there were two stages to the lift. Firstly, the frame was lifted, with the Mary Rose suspended below it. The wreck was then swung over to the side of the site and lowered into a custom built frame positioned on the seabed (which it still sits in to this very day). The whole thing was finally lifted onto a huge barge standing by for the journey back into the harbour that it had sailed out of 500 years earlier!
So, although I can work wonders with guitars... if you need anything big lifted off the seabed, let me know and I'll have a word with my mates!
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