Welcome to WhisperSmith Guitars, a small business based in the heart of Wales that specialises in creating custom electric guitars. Founded by a HM Forces Veteran with a passion for traditional craftsmanship and its principles.
Our mission is to preserve and promote traditional techniques in our industry while creating high-quality products that our customers will love. Our skilled craftsman has spent years perfecting his skills, ensuring that every guitar we produce not only looks great but sounds amazing too. We take great pride in our workmanship and strive to exceed our customers' expectations with every guitar we produce. Each one is constructed with care and precision, using both traditional hand tools and modern engineering techniques to create a unique and personalised instrument for our customers. Our commitment to quality and attention to detail means that every guitar we produce is a work of art, built to last a lifetime and bring joy to its owner for years to come.
Whether you're a professional musician or an enthusiastic hobbyist, we believe that a custom guitar is an investment in your passion. That's why we work closely with our customers to create a guitar that's perfectly suited to their individual needs and preferences. We'll listen to your ideas, offer suggestions and guidance, and collaborate with you every step of the way to create an instrument that's as unique and personal as you are, that will inspire and delight every time it’s picked up.
We invite you to explore our website, browse our gallery of previous projects, and get in touch with us to start creating the guitar of your dreams. Thank you for considering WhisperSmith Guitars to bring your vision to life.
From the start I wanted WhisperSmith to have a sensible approach to its use of materials. Wherever I can I will use reclaimed or naturally sourced wood. Not only does it give an instrument or other items an interesting background, it lessens the ecological impact on the world around us.
High demand for premium exotic woods has driven a surge of economic expansion in Africa and South America. While this is important to those people who rely on the timber industry for income, the response in terms of conservation is in a persistent state of catch-up. When travelling through some of these regions I was stunned by the level of deforestation, yet reassured to learn that it saddened the local population too.
So, to offset the wood I consume I’ve made a pledge to myself and my business; to plant a tree for every Guitar made.
My wonderful friends at Tanat Valley Community Forest Farm have given me a bit of a head start in this regard. Their project, which I’m proud to take part in, has planted over four thousand new trees and hedging plants within a small area of the Welsh countryside. Their work has helped inspire me to make this promise.
Of course, I work for you. If a customer wants exotic hardwoods in their build, I will include them in the build. There are ethical and alternative sources for these woods that I can tap into when needed.
There are already existing renewable sources of beautiful woods such as Coconut Palm, Olive, and Eucalyptus. Some are by-products of other industries, some are from dedicated forestry projects. More are still being made known to me, and experimentation continues behind the scenes to prove that these woods are viable for instruments.
I’m excited to continue my education in this matter so that I may one day say that 100% of all my wood comes from renewable or upcycled sources.
Below are some links I hope you’ll take a moment to explore:
"I have never been swayed by a crowd, never liked to have my taste dictated to me, and have always endeavoured to do things a little differently."
I am a lifelong, passionate engineer. In my earliest years I started out by trying to pull apart Dad’s VCR player and twin tape deck stereo. Subsequently I was gifted with endless amounts of Meccano and Lego for the duration of my childhood, and I was quite satisfied. My love for engineering and science, driven by an insatiable curiosity, has never waned.
I proudly served twelve years as an Armourer (weapons engineer) in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. My time as an apprentice included training as a blacksmith, turner, and fitting engineer. During my career, I would be awarded commendations for my skills and won a prize in the Forces blacksmithing competition. Post-military, I spent a further six years travelling the world in various engineering disciplines, but mainly as a specialist in high-powered X-Ray systems and particle accelerators. I used my downtime to continue my musical interests and write a novel. Over the past eighteen years I’ve visited over thirty countries and have taken every advantage to immerse myself in their culture, histories and of course, music.
You may be unsurprised to read that when my first electric guitar broke down, I immediately dissected it. It was then, with the off-brand S-type spread out on the floor in front of me, the thought crept into my mind that I could, and should, make a guitar from scratch. This required me to learn carpentry, which I promptly did. Fast forward a couple of years of learning and outfitting with everything I’d need, WhisperSmith Guitars was founded.
I very much look forward to building your dream instrument.
Thank you for reading,
- Chris