Blog
Preston Reed Signature Baritone Guitar made from Cocobolo
Preston Reed Signature Baritone Guitar Preston Reed As you may or not know I first met Preston at the Kirmichael International Guitar Festival - Like...
Bandsman Custom Electric Guitar
Bandsman Custom Electric Guitar with Horn Carve and EMG Pickups Sandy supplied his own pickups for this and I built the guitar around them. It has one humbucker and two single coils instead of the normal two humbucker arrangement and an extra bit of carving on the...
Build Your Own Acoustic Guitar – BYOA 20 – John Graham
Not bad for a first go! John came on one of our workshop courses to build his very first acoustic guitar based on the Bailey Bootlegger. The extra binding around the headstock and fretboard adds a lot of work but the result is fantastic - topped off by a custom inlay...
Build Your Own Classical Guitar – BYOA 21 John Boyle Classical
A first for all of us! John came on our workshop course to build his first guitar - it is the first classical style instrument made here at Bailey Guitars - It came out so well he immediately started planning his second build! [gallery link="file" columns="4"...
Build Your Own Guitar – Live Q+A – TOOLS
Tools for Guitar Making: watch the video This weeks Q+A focuses on the Essential Tools needed to build a guitar
The Ardrossan Music Experience… its this weekend folks… fancy some freebies ?
Bailey Guitar Lounge cafe - a display, demo and open stage @ Ardrossan CIVIC Centre SAT June 6th from 11 to 4 Bailey Guitars are once again visiting sunny Ardrossan to display some of our work and do a couple of workshops about guitar building. Thanks to the...
Custom Thru Neck Bandsman Electric Guitar with Buckeye Burl Cap – Part 4
The Buck-eyed Beauty!...or is it a Beast ? This guitar is a Custom version of the Bailey Bandsman What does it feel like to commission a Bailey custom...
Build Your Own Bass – BYO 352 Stevie McClean
It was a long time coming... Stevie was one of the first people we met when we moved here to Ayrshire - it took a while before he took the plunge...but we are glad he did. It was a pleasure to have him around the workshop and what a beastie! [gallery link="file"...
Build Your Own Guitar – BYO 351 – Mike McGregor
Bookmatched Jarrah cap and headstock veneer Mike lives in Scotland but a bit too far to come on our one day workshop sessions, and at the time he was also working shifts which made...
Build Your Own Guitar – BYO 350 – Doug Parry
Carved to Perfection - the Bandsman CT Doug was one of the first students to put a carve on our Standard Bandsman...having seen our special carve top...he had a picture in his own mind of what he wanted to build [gallery link="file"...
Melisa Kelly
Go Mel! Melisa Kelly is a young singer songwriter from Ayrshire who plays and writes outstanding songs on her very own Bailey Sweet P acoustic guitar. I know a lot of you have seen her at our Acoustic Bliss nights and were blown away like the rest of us. I really hope...
Build Your Own First Guitar – BYO 349 – Joe McClean
Blonde and beautiful Joe came to build his first guitar at Bailey's for a special birthday. Born in Scotland Joe lived in South Africa until he came back to the UK with his family. Making a guitar was something he always wanted to do.... and he chose the Build your...
Custom Bass and Guitar Build – Gordon
Gordon is one of our regulars down at Acoustic Bliss and can often be found bashing out tunes for us on acoustic guitar just for fun - but really he plays bass in the band Preacher who are due to support the mighty Status Quo very soon. [gallery columns="4"...
Making an acoustic guitar- how to bend the sides by hand
...Side bending....... In a Nutshell Most guitar shapes have only 3 bends to cope with. The lower bout, the waist, and the upper bout. All the bits in between are usually straight lines. There are only really two...
Eclipse Flower
Solar Eclipse over Bailey Workshop! Three things happened today which led me to a new idea for a guitar: 1. I managed to shoot this video of the solar eclipse over Ayr this morning 2. The Heathergem material has arrived 3. I heard about the Eclipse Flower [gallery...
Acoustic Bliss
Acoustic Bliss and Bailey Guitars Acoustic Bliss is the name of our 'open mic' night which is now over 7 years old. I always wanted to make guitars by day and play them at night and Carol loves singing so it was our escape from work - a night out and a bit of fun. We...
Baritone Uke Jarrah
Paul's Second Uke This uke was half made at the time he bought the soprano so he put his name down on it and has been patiently waiting for me to finish it in time for a recording...
Build Your First Guitar – LIVE STREAM!
Guitar Making Live! Expired Build Your Own First Guitar Can four complete beginners build four guitars in five days? Hang around and find out! Come hell or high weather We will be live streaming from the workshop for the full duration of the course - starting 11:00am...
Custom Thru Neck Bandsman Electric Guitar with Buckeye Burl Cap – Part 3
Making the body Part 1| Part 2 I glued the body wings and cap on (including black pinstripe) last week as reported in part 2 - so after removing the clamps I could crack on with...
Custom Thru Neck Bandsman Electric Guitar with Buckeye Burl Cap – Part 2
Gluing up the blanks and starting construction on the Buckeye'd Beauty Part 1 The neck blank for this guitar is made from laminating together three pieces of mahogany with two very thin...
Custom Thru Neck Bandsman Electric Guitar with Buckeye Burl Cap – Part 1
Design session and wood selection Ian and his lovely woman Sam visited recently for a design session in the workshop. Sam is particularly lovely - especially to us because she has...
Coming Soon !..Freshers week for The Student Guide and our Online Courses
Design Your Own Guitar! It's that time of year again...across the world students are embarking on their chosen courses of study...and looking for ways to spend their time (and money!) Here at Baileys, all our customers are students ... hoovering up as much guitar...
New Signature Baritone for Preston Reed
Tap Testing wood for Preston Reed's new signature custom baritone acoustic guitar Preston visited the workshop this week to choose some wood for the next project. We are basing it on the Signature Baritone I made for him last time but with a few changes. He loves the...
Build Your Own Custom Guitar – BYO-338 – Tim Jones
Help for Heroes BYO338 Tim Jones 28/5/13 Tim was a soldier on active duty in Afghanistan when he was very seriously injured in an accident and...
Acoustic Magazine Presents – The Book of British Guitar Makers
The essential guide to bespoke acoustic luthiery in the UK (Foreword by Newton Faulkner) Featuring Bailey Guitars! We are very pleased to be in the book (the first of it's kind) along with all the best makers in the UK and really chuffed to bits that my old...
Build Your Own Custom Guitar – Aug 2014
Ever wanted to design and build your own guitar completely from scratch? For the next 8 days we will be making sawdust and mayhem in the workshop. Check back here to see how we are getting on! [gallery columns="4" link="file"...
Super Full Moon(shiner)
Moon Madness Last weekend there was a beautiful big moon lighting the Ayrshire sky - a perigean full moon - and it was bright enough to stop us in our tracks when we caught sight of it over the trees, before the sunset... In Canterbury, under the same bright light, a...
Preston Reed Delayed Train
From the album "In Here Out There" Preston plays Delayed Train from his new album on his Signature Jumbo guitar - filmed in Loch Lomond Scotland by Dave Arcari. UK and USA tour dates for September through November 2014
Design Your Own Guitar for Schools
Bailey Online Courses at Udemy A Start: When I was 13 or 14 I asked my woodwork teacher if I could make a guitar...he said no because it was just too difficult. It took a few years...and I did finally get my...
The Sweet P Sessions – Melisa Kelly
Congratulations Mel! The Fabulous Melisa Kelly has just released a mini album featuring and named after her very own Bailey Sweet P acoustic guitar. The album is available to download right now and contains six new self penned and produced tracks all written and...
Build Your Own Guitar – BYOG 343 – David Pullar
Made in 7.5 days on our Build Your Own Custom Guitar Course. Scroll On... We first met David nearly 14 years ago (so Carol tells me) and before we even thought of moving to Ayrshire. Like...
Our First Self Tuning Guitar – with Acoustic Simulator and MIDI
This Guitar was custom made for Mark Screeton and just finished last week. He came to collect it and brought the most amazing rig into the workshop to test it out. I did shoot a little video of the guitar in action which still needs a little editing but I will publish...
Design Your Own Custom Guitar – Chris Meredith
Surfing Upside Down! It's going to be so cool you could surf on it! Chris loves 'surf' music and had an idea for a custom guitar he would like me to build for him - upside down! (not me, the guitar) He came across us on the...
It’s all happening!
Some highlights from the past month or so... Apologies if we missed anyone - I promise to get to you all eventually... News A few weeks have passed since our...
£5000 Guitar Live Prize Draw!
Good Luck Folks! UPDATE: Congratulations to Steve Skelcher - winner of the £5000 guitar prize draw!
First Chance ..Last Chance… Every Chance
First Chance - DAY 1 in the Bailey Workshop Yes...its the first day of our course...welcome to Brian from Henley-on-Thames who is building his first 6 string electric...along with Graham from Aberdeen (on his 4th) making a thru neck bass; John B (Troon) on his...
2 days left… Spotlight on Bailey Acoustics… the sweet sound
Only 2 days left to take advantage of our spectacular £5000 guitar draw! Win ANY of these guitars! Mark finished his first acoustic here in Scotland, live at the Kirkmichael International...
3 more days to go…Bailey Electrics…sounds, woods and rock n’ roll
50% off selected models ? A rockin' joke ? Mark's first guitar was an electric, and in his teens he bought himself a metallic green hat, ripped the arms off his shirts, got a great 80's haircut, and joined a rock band... Electrics were his first love, and as a player...
Custom Build Left Handed Neck Thru Electric Guitar – Part 3
The Tricky Bits [gallery link="file" ids="http://baileyarchive.teapotdev.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IMG_3108-e1389290207935.jpg|Ready to spray,http://baileyarchive.teapotdev.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/custom-electric-4-e1396439514175.jpg|Base coat...
Custom Build Left Handed Neck Thru Electric Guitar – Part 4
Allan's Custom Guitar Part 1| Part 2| Part 3| Part 4 The finished article One of the most spectacular guitars I have built - quite a challenge but well worth it I think. Specification: Custom thru neck...
Custom Electric guitar – Mark Screeton
It's No Secret - He's Back! History of a Secret No. Mark Screeton came on our build your own course a while back and made this guitar before commissioning me to make him another custom set neck electric guitar...
Spotlight on…Custom Guitars & Bailey Design session
T minus 4 days...and counting... [gallery link="file" columns="4" ids="http://baileyarchive.teapotdev.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/PRIZE-DRAW00004-e1365200625809.jpg|The...
Custom Big D Acoustic Guitar – Stegg – Part 1
Big D for Stevie B [gallery link="file" columns="4" ids="http://baileyarchive.teapotdev.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Sevie-big-d00001.jpg|Joining the Cedar top,http://baileyarchive.teapotdev.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Sevie-big-d00002.jpg|Marking out the...
5 days and Counting…No Fooling
Only 5 Days left to take advantage of our amazing £5000 guitar prize draw offer! [gallery link="file" columns="4" ids="http://baileyarchive.teapotdev.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/bailey-female-fit-t-shirt-15th-anniversary-ed.jpg|female fit...
Earth Hour, Summer Time and the Countdown Clock is ticking
Only 8 days left of our 15th Anniversary Year...and to win a Bailey Guitar The first lambs of the year were born this week, and it is an amazing reminder that the circle of life goes on and on - this is the tenth spring...
Today is International Day of Forests and the Tree
We love trees and forests! Hug a Tree ...as without them, so much about our lives would be different. Just have a quick look around you now... how much can you see that is made from wood, card or paper ? In the...
International day of Happiness – have some on us…
Thursday March 20th is the International day of Happiness...for guitar lovers! Here at Bailey Guitars our mission is making our players happy - we even have a word for it - "BaileyFace" Why not celebrate by joining our growing global family of happy Bailey...
Build Your Own First Guitar – BYO 333 – Veronica
Veronica 's first guitar [gallery link="file" ids="http://baileyarchive.teapotdev.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/IMG_2816-e1392124316402.jpg|Veronica with her pile of...