Crafting Fine Instruments with Heart, Tradition, and a Passion for Sound
I began my journey into lutherie in the 1990s after years of working as a journalist, making furniture, and playing music. Seeking a way to merge my love of craftsmanship and sound, I discovered David Freeman’s Timeless Instruments School in Saskatchewan, Canada. After two intensive months of learning instrument making, I returned home to New Zealand to build guitars and bouzoukis—and to play them on stage with several bands.
Inspired by my father’s homemade slide guitar from 1946 and the captivating artistry of David Lindley, I later added slide instruments to my repertoire. Over the years, I’ve exhibited and performed at numerous art and music festivals across New Zealand, as well as at the prestigious Healdsburg and Newport Guitar Festivals in the United States. Now, after crafting over three hundred Guitars, Weissenborns, Bouzoukis, Citterns, Mandolins, and Harps, the magic of transforming wood into sound remains as exhilarating as ever.
Every Burgin instrument is handcrafted, one at a time, on a workbench overlooking the vegetable garden (where I can keep an eye on the weeds while the glue dries). Each piece is meticulously bent, shaped, tapped, carved, fitted, and glued, slowly taking on a life of its own. The most thrilling moment comes when an instrument sings for the first time—often inspiring me to settle into a sunny workshop corner and play a few tunes (sometimes more than a few). Another joy of this craft is connecting with musicians around the globe, many of whom share their recordings played on my instruments.
Parallel to my lutherie work, I’ve pursued a vibrant career as a musician. I’ve been part of several projects, including The Wooden Box Band, Jessie James and the Outlaws, The Dunstan Rangers, Live Bait, Ballyscully, the Laura Collins Band, the Capital Gospel Show. My original songs and instrumentals feature on multiple albums, and I regularly perform at festivals, folk clubs, bars, and other venues in and around Wellington. You can find my music and some live performances are available on YouTube—just search my name.
In the early 2000s, I partnered with David Freeman to teach a condensed version of his guitar-making course in Wellington, New Zealand. We guided students through the process of building their own guitars over a three-week period. To date, around one hundred students from all over the world have completed this rewarding experience - sharing our knowledge helps keep the art of lutherie alive.
Thank you for reading! I’m always happy to answer questions, but for now, I must get back to scraping, sanding, and bending guitar sides.