Playmakers is part of the Perth Arts Festival and is held at the Eclipse Building at the Albany museum each year.
On the way through to Albany I got to visit the mother lode of Australian tonewood at Tim Spittle's place. I didn't get any photos there but I can assure that the place is full of outstanding timbers. Tim will also have a new website up before too long.
The theme of Playmakers this year was the ukelele and we were treated to some great discussions and playing from David Hurd, the author of left Brained Luthierie and Doug Tolentino, a ukelele player who sings in the traditional Hawaiian style.
I took some video and put it up on You Tube.
youtu.be/
Arguably Australia's finest Harp player, Jim Conway was there. Who remembers the Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band.
The highlight of the weekend for me at least was the presentation by Greg Smallman and particularly getting to have a chat with him.
Craig Ogden was there to play a couple of Gregs guitars and it was interesting to hear the difference in the instruments that were built five years apart. For those of you who are nervous taking soundboards too thin, Greg's sit at about 1mm.
Harry Fleishman is a very funny guy who makes some very nice but unorthodox asymmetrical guitars. He also invented "that" binding jig.
David Worthy has been building some unusual instruments for Andrew Winton. This is a Wiessenborn inspired soild neck intsrument with seven strings. The seventh string is about six inches longer in scale that the rest so it offers some unique bottom end sounds depending how it is tuned.
A heap of us stayed with John Maddison and there was a session at his place on the first night.
First of all here's
Tiny Tim(Spittle)
Allen MacFarlen and Kim Hickey having a giggle at Tiny Tim
Kim Hickey belts one out on his SJ as Michael Connor looks on.
Tim Spittle playing one of my guitars.
Michael and Allen having a cackle.
Me playing.
It was a great weekend and the highlight really was catching up with some of the people on the forum who had previously been names on an internet page.
John Maddison was one of the organisers of the event and I must thank him for putting up with a bunch of rogues like us in his house for the weeekend.
If anyone else can make it for Playmakers next year I can heartily recommend it.
