2003 Gary Southwell "A-Series" No. 212 SP/IN (ex Scott Tennant)

This 2003 Gary Southwell “A-Series” No. 212 is a spruce and Indian rosewood classical guitar originally owned by Scott Tennant, who recorded “Gypsy Flower” on it with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet for their Grammy-winning “LAGQ’s Guitar Heroes”.

The A-Series: Modern Lines, Viennese Roots

Besides his historical copies, Gary builds a unique model of his own design, which he calls his “A-Series”, and this is the “classical” version of the model (he also offers steel-string and archtop jazz versions). Although Gary’s design is strikingly modern with its sleek architectural curves and angles, it is actually inspired by the Viennese tradition, especially the instruments of Stauffer. Stauffer-inspired features include a geared mechanism in the heel of the neck, which allows the player to adjust the action using a clock key, and an asymmetrically shaped headstock that is in itself a work of art. The fingerboard “floats” above the soundboard, allowing the wood of the guitar to vibrate more freely without the fretboard muting the top.

Ex Scott Tennant and the LAGQ

Many professional players have concertized and recorded on this model, including Tom Kerstens, David Starobin and Scott Tennant. In fact this very guitar was originally owned by Scott, who used it to record the Matthew Dunne piece “Gypsy Flower” with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet on their album “LAGQ’s Guitar Heroes”, which won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album. Scott talks about the guitar in the interview above, and Arturo Solorzano plays Dyens’s arrangement of “Misty” on it. The label is signed, marked “Nottingham 2003” and numbered 212.

Condition and Pickup

Craftsmanship is superb, materials are first-rate and not a single detail has been overlooked. Although now over two decades old, this guitar is in fantastic condition with very little sign of prior use and of course no damage or repairs. It also comes fitted with an under-saddle piezo pickup system with a quarter-inch jack/endpin for easy amplification. The guitar sounds fantastic un-amplified – it performs tremendously acoustically, which is how Scott Tennant played it live and in the studio – but the electronics may be welcome for the gigging guitarist looking to plug in when needed.

In Orfeo Magazine

Gary Southwell is featured in Orfeo Magazine No. 11 – England (cover above, read it online), also available in print in the collected edition:

Orfeo Magazine 11–15 (print edition)

Gary Southwell: Historical Guitars from England

Gary Southwell is regarded today as one of the most established of the British builders. He trained in the early 1980s, primarily in furniture making and in historical (pre-Torres) instruments, and in 1983 set up his own workshop in Nottingham, specializing in – and becoming a leading expert in – 19th-century guitars, copying and restoring guitars by Lacote, Stauffer, Pagés and Panormo. Alongside his Hauser model he builds historical copies (Torres, Panormo, Stauffer, Lacote, Scherzer) and a modern model of his own design, the “A-Series”, first developed in the 1990s with David Starobin.

Julian Bream and the 1940 Hauser

Since 1995 Gary has become well known for his Hauser model, many of them built for Julian Bream – to quote Gary directly: “I have worked closely with Julian Bream on this Hauser design since 1995, experimenting and refining certain aspects. We have been particularly interested in the tuning of the front, back and body chamber; examining their relationship to each other and how that affects the tonal quality of the finished guitar. This has enabled me to successfully produce a sound reminiscent of the original Hauser guitar.” In addition to Julian Bream, Gary’s impressive list of clients includes the likes of Paul Simon, David Starobin, Sting, David Tanenbaum, Scott Tennant and John Williams, to name just a few.