EMAIL info@westvalleyguitars.co.uk WEB www.westvalleyguitars.co.uk
If there were a perfect path for the modern guitar-maker, it might well include touring Europe and the UK with a band, learning to become a furniture maker, then realising making guitars sort of combines both worlds! Such was the journey of West Valley Guitars’ Josh Stopford. Along with running a busy repair shop and guitar setup courses, he’s evolved the design we see here through several prototype models to form the basis of his stock and to-order builds.
“I wanted the design to feel familiar, especially to Fender players,” Josh tells us, “so there are definite references: for example, the position of the leg cutaway to the nut. But I always loved offset guitars, too, so I wanted some of that. Stylistic inspiration I guess came from 1950s car manufacturers, rockabilly music, and surf rock from the 50s and 60s. I also wanted to make a guitar that felt a little more feminine than a lot of guitars do. Practically speaking, I’m quite a short guy, and being a bass player I always felt a little dwarfed by my own instrument, so I wanted to make something that was a little more delicate feeling.”