I am a luthier; a maker, repairer and restorer of guitars, basses and stringed instruments. I also perform acoustic/electric/jazz guitar and vocal.

I have been playing guitar for fifty years, beginning my guitar performing career at Chiswick School in London and Kingston College, Surrey. I trained as a hospital Operating Department Assistant (ODA) at Guys Hospital as a qualification, before setting off for Australia in 1981/82 for my gap travels. I went on to work for the Guitar Factory music shop in Sydney for six months and began doing set ups and minor repairs with help and guidance from their in house specialist and had a successful time as a playing musician gaining moderate fame for another year in Australia before returning to the UK. I still return for visits to Australia whenever possible and have a link with Maton guitars as a warranty UK repairer for them.

For the most part of what I do I am self trained; there are few courses or apprenticeships worth doing to this day. I have been a luthier since 1985, when I made my first electric guitar whilst resident guitar tech at ABC music in Addlestone and Kingston, Surrey for three years. I worked part time between 1988 until 1996 combing luthiery with hospital ODA work, before moving on to a full time professional luthier career, opening The Guitar Tree Luthiery in Ritz Music, Putney, London. I moved on to a bigger facility in Ripley, Surrey in 2004, as Tom Anfield Guitars before relocating to Hatt, near Saltash, Cornwall in 2008 where I now work from home covering mostly Plymouth and the South West, Devon and Cornwall.

Most of my work is repair and restoration work, from setups, servicing, electronics, refretting, fractures and accident damage repairs, through to complete vintage instrument rebuilds, re-engineering (old neck/body restorations with new upgraded parts) and restorations. I also make customshop electric guitars to customer order and occasionally prototype acoustic instruments.

I guarantee satisfaction on all my work and always work within prior quotation. I charge fair prices for high quality honest work with a fast turnaround, I am a firm believer in customer care and do my very best to achieve great results in all of my work. I have a large client bass of loyal customers who happily recommend me to their friends and colleagues. Visitors and new customers are always welcome by prior arrangement/appointment. I am generally at home on workdays, Mon to Sat 10.00-19.00.

I occasionally lecture and run workshops on guitar technology and organise small music festivals once or twice per year in Saltash and play local gigs solo, with my daughter and with my band. I host a monthly open mic session at the Union Inn, Saltash waterside, every third Wednesday of the month, all welcome.