fb

Instruments

Please visit the Gallery section for examples of recent instruments.  You can also view currently available instruments here.
Audio recordings can be found in the general media section.

divider

Acoustic guitar - Tui model

Designed for the fingerstylist, the Tui model has superb balance and clarity of tone. It has a wide dynamic range making it more expressive and nuanced for the virtuoso player. Whether you play in the world's grandest concert halls or in the privacy of your home the Tui is built to inspire.

The lower bout is 15 3/4" and has a depth at the tailblock of 4 1/2"
For the cutaway option it features a sculpted, low profile, heel-to-cutaway body transition allowing comfortable access to the higher frets.

Some of the standard features you can expect when buying a Tui model are:

  • All solid tonewoods
  • Totara neck
  • Ebony fingerboard and bridge
  • All solid wood binding
  • A choice of rosettes from one of my own designs
  • Water buffalo bone nut and saddle
  • Gotoh 510 series machine heads
  • Evo gold frets (harder than standard nickel silver)
  • 25.5" scale length
  • High quality full gloss hand rubbed finish
  • ABS hardshell case (upgradeble to custom Hoffee carbon fibre case)

Options can include but are not limited to:

  • Your choice of a range of soundboards including my Waingarara kauri
  • Your choice of back and sides including ancient kauri
  • Williams Signature Series
  • NZ paua purfling on top, headstock and fingerboard
  • Custom designed rosettes
  • Burl veneer top purfling
  • Custom made tuner buttons, bridge pins, strap buttons
  • Bevel
  • Custom designed inlays
  • Pickups of your choice installed
divider

Acoustic guitar - Kiwi model

Sharing many of the characteristics of the Tui model, the Kiwi is smaller and emphasises more in the mid range while maintaining all the finese and expressiveness of it's larger cousin.

It is also my most versatile model.

I build the Kiwi in two configurations: a 12 fret-to-body set up as well as the 14 fret-to-body version.

The normal scale length for the Kiwi is 25" but I do build it with the longer 25.5" scale so it is very adaptable to a wide range of styles and players.

The lower bout is 14 7/8" and has a depth at the tailblock of 3 15/16"

All the standard and custom options available for the Tui are also available for the Kiwi model.

divider

Signature Electric guitar - Limited Edition Series 2

The new Limited Edition Signature Electric Series 2  guitars are now available!

Click on the image or follow this link to view.

These are all riverwood guitars, with all woods salvaged from rivers in the North of New Zealand.  The predominant woods used are matai, totara and rimu, all native to NZ. A total of eight instruments were built for this series, each one unique, featuring  different combinations of the three main woods in the bodies and necks. The tops are all totara, showcasing the wide variety of colours and grain variation possible from this  wood.         

Check out the short demo on Youtube here, as well as quotes from the first Series 1 instruments.

Specifications:

  • Custom semi-solid body, neck though design
  • Solid wood carved totara top
  • Scale length 642mm
  • Custom "Williams" neck relief profile, resulting in super low, smooth action.
  • Stainless steel frets
  • Neck and bridge humbucker pickups, each with switching for single coil.
  • 'Blower' switch
  • 510 series Gotoh tremelo bridge
  • 510 series Gotoh tuning machines
  • divider

    Hihi

    The Hihi (pronounced "hee hee") tenor ukulele has a musicality and tone and playability that make it a concert quality instrument ideally suited to the solo performer though they will shine in any ensemble.

    My Hihi models make use of some of the most unique and exciting woods. I sometimes have exquisite pieces of timber too small for larger instruments and these can often be employed in the service of the ukulele and consequently my Hihi models can exhibit the most unique and stunning timbers of all my instruments.
    Among the tonewood options are native New Zealand species as well as some of the most beautiful exotics from around the world.

    The Hihi has a slotted headstock with high quality Waverly tuners and is embellished with NZ paua purfling. You can choose from a selection of rosettes or ask for a custom design. They are priced on an individual basis depending on the woods chosen and other appointments. Prices start at $3400.

    Some of the standard features you can expect on my Hihi tenor ukulele are:

    • All solid tonewoods
    • Totara neck
    • Ebony fingerboard and bridge
    • All solid wood binding
    • A choice of rosettes from one of my own designs
    • Mammoth tusk, or Buffalo horn nut and saddle
    • Waverly machine heads
    • Evo gold frets (harder than standard nickel silver)
    • Hihi motif on the twelfth fret on fingerboard
    • High quality full gloss hand rubbed finish
    • Hardshell case

    Many custom options and choices are available. Please inquire for more information.

    divider