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Switching from chef to luthier might seem an almost unfathomable career changeover, but JWJ's Rich Jones insists that one work ethic really does flow into the other

- David Mead

After just five years as a lone builder, chef-turned-luthier Rich Jones has been making instruments that have created quite a buzz among the customarily reserved acoustic guitar fraternity. Certainly, the few we have had pass through our hands have been full of surprises with top-class workmanship and amazing, musical tone very much to the fore. And when you consider that those instruments were built in a premises little bigger than the average garden shed, eyebrows are raised and the plot thickens even more.

When we encountered the Select Series reviewed in this issue, we took the opportunity to talk to Rich about his transition from one profession to the other. "The best chefs aren't necessarily the most creative," he tells us. "They're the ones who are organised and can manage their time. Those who can't end up rushing and making mistakes, and I think the same applies to what I do now. I have to be organised to give myself time to do each job properly."

This year, things at JWJ are pushing forward with a move into larger premises already on the cards...

What do you consider will be the main benefits from expanding the business and moving into a larger workshop?