A Young Craftsman Making The Most Of Isolation By Building Guitars.

Each day I am amazed at the stories and lives of people living in Hobart!

Today I bring you the story of Will De Angelis, a young wood craftsman making the most of isolation by building some beautiful guitars in Hobart.

When I spoke with Will I asked him how the coronavirus had impacted him. It turned out that he was overseas in Canada, studying on an exchange when the pandemic first hit. Will returned home like, many Australians, but once he arrived, he was unable to get work due to the restrictions. He instead decided to use his time to make guitars.

Will started making guitars in 2015 as a school project in college. The students had the option to make anything they wanted, so he decided to build a guitar. He got in touch with a local Tasmanian luthier, Daniel Brauchli, who was kind enough to show him the techniques and the process of guitar building. From then Will has been creating his own guitars and designs.

He enjoys making acoustic guitars the most but has also made a range of different types of styles even including a mandolin. He likes to incorporate Tasmanian woods into his guitars designs as much as possible. The Tasmanian Blackwood is a favourite for the tonewood and used by many guitar brands across the globe. Will has been experimenting with other Tasmanian wood varieties such as Blackheart Sassafras and Myrtle Beech in his latest designs.  So far, his finished guitars have been gifts for friends and family. He hopes that one day the possibility of selling his guitars could become a reality.

If you would like to see Will’s work, please check out his Instagram here