Article by Alden: The first serious step in bespoke

[Frederic Leighton]

To possess & play an instrument you’ve had a hand in creating – via your commission - must be deeply satisfying to say the least.

Dear Russell,

That's very true. 'Universal' is also the inspirational effect of passionate people who spend their life doing what they like the most and doing it the best they can, without compromise.

After a long and extremely old-fashioned apprenticeship in someone else's workshop, this man spent the last three decades working 70 hours a week, making historical copies of keyboard instruments and eventually managing to build his reputation as a clavichord maker. He works without electricity - pieces of wood some inches thick are shaped and brought to the required thickness (which varies between 2-5mm) by hand.

Towards the end of a dinner and persuaded by the last glass of wine, he showed me the fruits of his spare time and dedication - not a blog but a private journal of his works and investigations, handwritten with calligraphy nib in impeccable, dense 15th c. blackletter script.

[Russell]

After a long and extremely old-fashioned apprenticeship in someone else's workshop, this man spent the last three decades working 70 hours a week, making historical copies of keyboard instruments and eventually managing to build his reputation as a clavichord maker. He works without electricity - pieces of wood some inches thick are shaped and brought to the required thickness (which varies between 2-5mm) by hand.

Towards the end of a dinner and persuaded by the last glass of wine, he showed me the fruits of his spare time and dedication - not a blog but a private journal of his works and investigations, handwritten with calligraphy nib in impeccable, dense 15th c. blackletter script.

A wonderful incident.

It goes without saying that to spend time with anyone who’s a master of his or her craft is a privilege – seeing how some of them translate their professional talents & dedication into their leisure interests (if they have time for them) can be equally fascinating & throws up many surprises.

Even by the standard of incredible attention to detail master craftsmen can bring to their own interests, your instrument makers journals must have left you struggling for words.

Regards
Russell

[C.Lee]

Federico, Russell,

Your exchange made me smile.

My tailor once operated a pastry shop on the side. He tells me how there are no worthwhile cream-filled pastries available to him, so upon hosting elderly gentlemen from his homeland, dusted off a recipe last used 20 years ago. Alas, I had to forgo his offer of a nibble or two. Much like Halley's Comet's passage near the Earth, a once in a lifetime experience - missed!

Regards.

[Screaminmarlon]

Thank you for sharing, Federico.
It takes years to have a little grasp in a craft, and the rest of one's life to keep on learning. I always think about it during a fitting

[DFR]

This thread would be best left in the archive! The first response sums it all up - " a can of worms!"

[cathach]

I would also note that e-marketing skills are now a commodity, while expert tailoring and shirtmaking skills, as Michael often reminds us, are very scarce and in some quarters endangered. Lifetimes being limited as they are, I'd rather see artisans spending their remaining hours practicing their calling than tweeting.

Nonetheless if they do not even condescend to have their name in the phonebook how will the keen amateur or devoted apprentice ever find them?

[couch]

There's a difference between hanging out a shingle (or directory listing) and concentrated marketing via social media. The traditional answer to your question is, of course, word of mouth. Presumably those craftspeople Michael advises us to find by going door to door have enough work to stay in business. A web site, or indeed a social media presence, can be a great boon to a new or very small business building up a clientele, because of the relatively low barrier to entry. But it's a slippery slope and can easily distract an artisan from what seem to me more valuable activities. Then if he hires someone to help with the online marketing, overhead can grow and with that, prices. It's not a moral issue unless there are misrepresentations; it's just that what separates the artisanal firm from the commercial powerhouse is partly the proportion of marketing and distribution resources to the total. As it rises, both the value proposition and the "user experience" we prize in bespoke are diminished. Steed seems to manage a reasonable balance. But Steed is not now, if it ever was, a "budget" maker.