About
Guitars Build in the Heart of Switzerland
Amongst mountains of cheese and chocolate there is a small basement guitar building workshop going by the name of Dark Art Guitars. As of now it is just me, David, building guitars as a passion in my spare time. This means you don't deal with some big factory, but directly with me, the luthier actually building your instrument.
Embracing Technology
While I don't have any hired human help, being an engineer myself I love to harness technology to make my job easier. For guitar building this manifest itself in my robot assistant the CNC router. It allows me to cut out the exact shape I want for the guitar as well as create intricate inlay with relative ease. But if you think it does all the work, sadly you couldn't be further from the truth.
The Feel of an Instrument
A robot is great at repeating a pre-programmed path exactly, but it can not read the wood and feel the instrument. That is why after the shape is roughly cut out I spend many hours fine tuning the shape, making sure the neck as well as all the transitions and surfaces you as the player interact with feel right. This also means working with the wood and reading it to get the best finish possible.
Want to see me at work?
On my YouTube channel you can see me building your guitars. Sometimes I just share a montage, but other times I narrate the process to give you even more insights into my work. I also share other interesting things happening around the workshop.
Follow my Progress in Real Time on Instagram
If you want to see what I'm currently working on, Instagram is the best place. I share stories almost every day I'm in the workshop and frequently post pictures and videos of the guitars I'm working on. So hop on over and get inspired for your next custom build with me!