Probett Guitars
Damian Probett
I’ve always made things. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t.
It's all I've ever wanted to do.
I’ve worked as a saddlemaker, carpenter, joiner, aircraft toolmaker, racing motorcycle chassis maker, racing motorcycle engine builder and tuner, guitar repairer and now guitar maker.
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One of my early obsessions was old British motorcycles. Those things will teach you one end of a spanner from the other really quickly! I’ve retained a love for these beautiful, quirky things both as machines and for how they represent a time of British manufacturing. Our logo and model names are both inspired by these fascinating devices.
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I worked for several years in the woodwork shop at the British Aerospace factory at the old Brooklands airfield and racetrack in Weybridge. To work in a place with such a rich manufacturing and motorsport heritage was something rather special and part of what inspires my determination to continue to make things right here in England.
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I’ve also always played guitar. This led to several years working for one of London’s leading repair shops. Charlie Chandler and Paul Herman remain a source of inspiration and encouragement. I have been fortunate to get to spend time with many vintage instruments. Their unique and sometimes quirky nature was, like the motorcycles of the same era, a source of inspiration for my own designs.