ABOUT
Shane Briggs - Guitar Maker
Born and raised in Victoria, Australia, Shane began learning to play the acoustic guitar at the age of 12. As he reached his final years of secondary school, he developed a strong interest for contemporary finger style guitar music and became fascinated by the techniques and instruments used by the players he was listening to. He studied Music Performance in his final year of school and it became clear to him at this stage that he would pursue a career involving music and guitars.
Shane began utilising books to teach himself basic wood working skills, building his first two guitars at the age of 17. His newfound delight in the tactility of flexing, planing and crafting tone woods soon saw him establish a small workshop in his father’s garage. His quest for knowledge soon led him to respected Australian luthiers Jack Spira, Richard Howell, Barry Kerr and Tim Kill, all of whom mentored him and encouraged his work. In 2009, Shane completed a Certificate in Guitar Making, Restoration & Repair in Melbourne.
Shane currently designs and crafts steel string guitars and harp guitars from his Melbourne workshop using tone woods from both hemispheres to create instruments that are highly responsive, incredibly playable and aesthetically refined.
His works are influenced by the aesthetics of the world’s contemporary guitar making scene, modern finger style guitar music as well as his personal tastes as a guitar player.
Shane builds 8-10 instruments per year and has exhibited at events including Port Fairy Folk Festival, Melbourne Guitar Makers Festival, Canberra’s National Folk Festival and the Holy Grail Guitar Show in Berlin.