Daniel G. Lukes - Croydon, South London
Where he started
Luthier, Daniel G. Lukes is no stranger to stringed instruments, he is a lifelong performing musician, formerly in the band Bellevue Days, he learnt the art of lutherie whilst studying Guitar Making and Repair at Merton College in London.
2016 was the start of his lutherie journey, Daniel has always been attracted to miniature things, “it was such a refreshing change when I became interested in ukuleles.” His very first instrument was a martin-soprano, all mahogany “it was so light, fun and sat perfectly in my hands always begging to be played.” He really appreciates the smaller proportions, as it uses less materials so every square millimeter of precious tonewood gets the love and attention it deserves. It’s an invitation as a craftsman to get lost in the finer elements and make every detail count.
voicing the top is the most critical step…
From all his experience he finds voicing the top is the most critical step in the process, it is the biggest contributor to sound and needs to strike a fine balance between structural stability and the ability to resonate freely. He aims to keep the top as light as possible, thinning the edges of the lower bout and not over-bracing.
His goal is to make a loud, vibrant and responsive instrument that rewards the player. Rory from Taran Guitars and Beau Hannam have been big influences in Daniel’s lutherie career, both are innovative and have been a constant source of knowledge and inspiration for him.
Each piece of wood has its own structure and sound characteristics, two are never the same. Daniel works closely with his clients to build to their specifications, his days are never dull or boring, there is always something that he is trying out or experimenting. Although each instrument is unique, you will get one constant feature – a carved fox face on the heel of the neck!
“True, homegrown instruments”
“I pride myself in building, wherever possible, with local woods (often harvested from within a few miles’ radius) selected for the best performance in every component of the instrument, as well as their aesthetic beauty. Although lutherie has, for the last couple of centuries, been dominated by the same few endangered exotic woods (Brazilian Rosewood, Ebony, Koa, Honduran Mahogany) I am drawing on much older, pre-colonial tradition of stringed instrument building. Luthiers of old had a far greater understanding of the myriad species growing in their area, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to put them to incredible use in building truly local, sustainable and beautiful instruments.
It is through this tradition that I incorporate historic but now uncommon tonewoods like Laburnum, Yew, Walnut, Cherry, Linden, Plane and Sycamore as well as some incredibly rare and sought-after woods like Fenland Bog-Oak, which has been rendered usable in large boards only recently through developments in the drying process. Equipped with an intimate knowledge of the materials, it’s possible to achieve a totally unique sound which matches or even surpasses endangered exotics.
True, homegrown instruments.”
please continue to experiment with local materials…
“Lastly, a message to builders and buyers everywhere, the traditional tonewoods are not the final word, please continue to experiment with local materials. We don’t need to cut down the last Brazilian rosewood tree, there is a world of beautiful and amazing sounding tonewood out there!”
