If there were a perfect path for the modern guitar-maker, it might well include touring Europe and the UK with a band, learning to become a furniture maker, then realising making guitars sort of combines both worlds!
Such was the journey of West Valley Guitars’ Josh Stopford. Along with running a busy repair shop and guitar setup courses, he’s evolved the design we see here through several prototype models to form the basis of his stock and to-order builds.
“I wanted the design to feel familiar, especially to Fender players,” Josh tells us, “so there are definite references: for example, the position of the leg cutaway to the nut. But I always loved offset guitars, too, so I wanted some of that. Stylistic inspiration I guess came from 1950s car manufacturers, rockabilly music, and surf rock from the ’50s and ’60s.
“I also wanted to make a guitar that felt a little more feminine than a lot of guitars do. Practically speaking, I’m quite a short guy, and being a bass player I always felt a little dwarfed by my own instrument, so I wanted to make something that was a little more delicate-feeling.”
With a weight of 3.19kg (7lb), it’s certainly that and it’s no surprise to find that the Fijian mahogany body is also chambered – and slightly thinner than Fender standard at 40mm – with some nicely done tortoiseshell binding and inner purfling around the top edge.
The Tahitian Coral top colour is a thin matt nitrocellulose, while the bolt-on sapele neck, body, sides and back retain a woody vibe with a super-smooth oil and wax finish. The neck work is really good, too; from the sharply crafted binding of the ebony fingerboard to the crisp and mirror-polished fretwork, it’s a joy to play.
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Although our pictured sample features Mojo pickups, Josh is winding his own, too. “On a practical level, you’re bringing everything in-house, which is just a financial necessity when profit margins have become so low for custom building.
“But creatively it feels so much like your guitar when you’ve wound the pickups as well. It can also give the client more say on what they want and it just becomes a part of the collaborative design process. But we have some master pickup makers here in the UK and I do use them – Mojo, House Of Tone, Bare Knuckle – so I’m not exclusively using my own winds and I absolutely love trying out other people’s pickups.”
These guitars are beautifully made with evocative sounds to match, and we can’t wait to spend a little more time with a West Valley Custom later this year.
Builder profile
NAME: West Valley Guitars
FOUNDER: Josh Stopford
LOCATION: Frome, Somerset
STATUS: Founded 2018 (first build), now fully professional
EMPLOYEES: 1
FIRST GUITAR SHIPPED: 2019
CURRENT OUTPUT: 5-6 instruments per year
STYLE: Currently just 1 outline as featured (bass version in development)
CAD/CNC: No, all old-school handcraft
PICKUPS/HARDWARE: In-house wound going forward/Gotoh upwards
FINISHING: In-house, nitrocellulose top, oil/wax neck and back
REPAIRS: Lots!
CUSTOM ORDERS: Yes, based on the pictured model/outline
DEPOSIT/BUILD TIME: Once spec determined, 30% deposit, balance on completion/7 weeks depending on finish
WAITING LIST: Not at present
DEALERS: No, but stock builds often head to GuitarBitz.com in Bath
PRICE RANGE: Junior model starts at £1,950; Slim with f-holes from £2,250; full custom (as featured) £2,450
CONTACT: West Valley Guitars
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