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David Cottam
busy performer, composer and teacher resident in the South West.
"I first tried one of Shaun's guitars about ten years ago. It was a 19th century style guitar that he had made for his eight year old son. I was immediately struck by the sheer volume possible from this small instrument. in 1999 Shaun made himself a guitar which I liked so much that I borrowed it a couple of times for performances. Its main characteristics apart from the ease with which I could play it were its combination of warmth and clarity. The treble was strong, full bodied and even and the bass was powerful, with good sustain. I had been suffering from tendonitis and I found the fingerboard and set up more comfortable than my other instruments.
Many modern guitars have most of the energy concentrated in the treble
range so the sound is quite cutting at the expense of a sustained singing
quality. My Newman guitar has plenty of volume and is capable of a wide
tonal and dynamic range. It's possible to sing legato lines and be punchy
too. It has made playing duos with flute and violin easier to balance.
Shaun made my present guitar in 2000 using a wonderful close grained
spruce top and Brazilian rosewood. I have used it to record a number of CDs
and for concerts. I feel that it allows me to make my own distinctive
personal sound. People always remark on the beauty of the sound and its
projection to the back of the hall. On one occasion someone thought I was
using amplification!
I found that a slightly wider string spacing reduced the fatigue in my
left hand. Shaun was able to make a number of minute adjustments to make
it extremely comfortable to play and my left hand injury has almost ceased
to be a problem. Living a few miles from Shaun has made any adjustments
very easy to arrange. Shaun always deals with work immediately and with
meticulous attention to detail and has rescued me and many of my students
with repairs and adjustments.
I now have a second Newman guitar with an internal amplification system
for those occasions when much more sound is needed.
The one he made for me in 2000 is still my all time favourite guitar. I
have owned in the past a Romanillos, a Rubio, a Fischer and a Kohno so I am
ranking it with some of the best guitars available, all of which were more
expensive to buy.
Shaun is uncompromising on quality and I can vouch for the consistency of
his output as I usually try every one he finishes. Several friends and
students have bought Newman's and seem very happy with them and with the
complete lack of pressure or hard sell. Shaun is quite content to let his
instruments speak for themselves."