The Governor

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From the workshop

The story behind The Governor

The Governor was part of my original First Fleet of guitars—the first group I made after setting up on my own and starting again from the ground up.

At that stage, I wasn’t just building guitars. I was building the workshop around them as I went. Every new step meant making another mould, jig or template before I could move forward. There was a lot of trial and error, a lot of working things out by hand, and plenty of moments when I wondered what I’d taken on.

This guitar was built from probably the most incredible piece of timber I’ve ever used in a guitar build, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The rarest Brazilian rosewood, combined with genuine Honduran mahogany, gave it the sort of richness, depth and presence you hope for when you’re lucky enough to work with materials like these.

Those first guitars took far longer than they normally would because the whole process was being created alongside them.

The Governor came out of that period, so it represents more than the finished instrument. It carries the beginnings of Andy Allen Custom Guitars and the point where years of experience had to be turned back into hand tools, timber and first principles.

For the player

For me, The Governor is a genuinely important guitar. It has the materials, craftsmanship and individuality to become a generational piece—the sort of instrument that can be played, treasured and handed on long after its first owner.