Testimonials
“The guitar is ALIVE. I barely have to touch it and there is noise, it picks up the vibration through the floor when you walk past ... and it’s on the blimmin stand! .... it’s going to be keeping me awake at this rate!
Really though, the nicest surprise came when I sang along with it, there are spaces it fills that my other guitars just don’t fill and I barely need to lean into it at all if I am putting some grace notes in after singing a line for example.
So very pleased with my stunning new guitar, thank you for bringing it into existence.”
“First let me say how absolutely elated I am with the new guitar (IA). After 2 gigs this weekend, it far exceeds my high expectations. The light weight meant that at the end of a gig. My back had no aches. The guys in the band noticed the difference both in sound and in my playing.”
“Guitar finally arrived late last week. Love it. Beautifully made, sounds awesome and makes me want to play more. Everything I could have hoped for. Thank you.”
“The IA is a wonderful purchase it just begs to be played I hadn’t realised just how acoustic it could be the tone is bell-like and the action is perfection. You’ve created a beautiful thing. Not least the workmanship is magnificent - no point in any one buying a factory “top brand” semi-hollowbody when you can have this.”
“Jamie was a joy to work with from start to finish on this guitar. He turns abstract sonic ideas into concrete decisions, and explains really clearly why certain things sound the way they do. He really listened to my ideas, and the guitar sounds better than I imagined. It’s warm and clear, with a beautifully balanced tone across the whole range. It fits the job it was meant to do perfectly!”
“Jamie has built me a truly lovely guitar, his OM model with Italian spruce top, flamed Claro walnut back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, reclaimed mahogany neck and English yew detailing. The design is beautiful, the craftsmanship is superb, the finish is wonderful and the sound is absolutely fantastic. Jamie guided me with expertise and sensitivity through choices of woods, neck profile, and appointments; weeks later those sheets and lumps of wood were transformed as if by magic into a vibrant, expressive instrument. The wonderful feel and tone of this marvellous guitar make it a joy to play. ”
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am with my guitar. The materials used are inspired and of the highest quality (alpine spruce, bog oak and subtly flamed walnut), and the design is so elegant. It’s refined and very classic in appearance, but on close inspection you can see there is an exceptional level of craft, experience, innovation and consideration in the build. From the french polished top, exquisitely neat bracing, beautifully carved compensated bone nut and compensated saddle to the inspired inlay work and frets (which have beautiful looking semi-hemispherical filed ends). All of these small works of art combine to create an instrument that sounds and plays beautifully. It is the most ‘together’ feeling guitar I’ve ever played. The whole guitar joins in with each note. It really wants to be played. The intonation is spot on, tuning stability is incredible, and notes just bloom with a clear fundamental and just the right amount of overtone to provide clarity with interest and depth. Add the fact that Jamie is one of the nicest human beings you could hope to meet and the whole experience of having this guitar made for me was something truly special. The guitar is something I will play daily and never part with. ”
“You can’t help but feel the attention to detail. Comfort, tone, playability…no stone is left unturned.”
“My Swannell OM confers an inexhaustible sense of possibility. Its dynamism and precise response leave everything (open) to the player.”
“Jamie’s incredible craftsmanship, attention to detail and expertise has had a profound effect on me as an artist and a guitarist. From when I first played the OM it responded to my playing in a way that was emotionally engaging and completely natural. The guitar has a soul. My Swannell guitar has been on every gig I’ve played since and is the main guitar I’ve used for my upcoming album. As a youngster I heard lots of folklore’ish tales about guitars giving us songwriters songs. Until now I’d never experienced that. It’s given me a whole albums worth and is showing no desire to stop. Tone wise the guitar is in my opinion jaw dropping. There is a purity in its resonance that feels almost like a grand piano. Incredible depth and clarity. All I have for this guitar is love”
“Every part of the process with Jamie was a genuine pleasure. We discussed the OM in every detail and workshopped ideas to make sure that it looked and sounded exactly as I wished. From the elegant bog oak body through to the stunning starry night detailing on the rosette. The unveiling was a special moment and it really is a work of art. The tone, feeling in the hands and playability of this guitar is just a dream. It now takes centre stage in my studio in East London for all to see when I am not happily playing it.”
“I’ve been a proud owner of a Swannell guitar for nearly ten years. It’s a lovely design, beautifully made, and it seems to be getting ever sweeter with age.”
“As I’m primarily a song writer - ideas bubble up - I never really know what I’m looking for, except when I see it or hear it - therefore I measure an instrument in what it gives back - a riff - a line - something essential from an earthy place ... When an instrument comes into being - it takes on a life of its own. It’s strange to think Bog Oak is created by a serendipitous journey initiated by a cataclysmic event that lies undisturbed... a millennia of maturation deep beneath a million tons of earth - transformed through the tannic seepage - a silent blanket of abonos morta - a darkness that mineralises & ends up with a precious material bright with echo & response - recovered from the swampy mire & yet fitting it should fall into the hands of an unsurpassed craftsman - Jamie - who will recognise & treasure its qualities ...& unleash its potential into a new living history - an instrument with as near perfect quality as it could possibly be - balanced - distinct - immediate & sparkling with life … that will echo down a new age … yet delicate & just a little too easy to play - it sings lost songs from a pre flood era & conjures words from where I do not know. ”