Ciarán mcnally
Luthier
The development of McNally Guitars is grounded in a wealth of professional guitar-making experience. Ciarán was a student of two guitar-making colleges and worked as a craftsman at two renowned guitar companies all before the age of 30. However, it all started from a small spark…
“I fell down the guitar-making rabbit hole at the age of 15, when my first guitar started giving me minor electric shocks. The very simple task of re-soldering a ground wire was enough to get me hooked. A year later, I started making the first McNally guitar.”
Résumé
• Guitar number one, made at age 16 on the kitchen table.
• Lagan Lutherie School, Belfast- Evening, Intensive & Apprentice courses.
• London Met. (College of Furniture) – Diploma in Musical Instruments
• George Lowden Guitars, N.Ireland – Senior Craftsman
• Atkin Guitars, England – Production Manager
Ciarán continued making his own guitars in his spare time while working for others. After honing his skills at all stages in the production lifecycle for thousands of high end instruments, and having made around 30 of his own guitars, Ciarán became an independent Luthier in 2020.
“Seeing my guitars being enjoyed and used to create music
is the best part of being a guitar maker.”
“I aim to combine the warmth and complexity of Celtic guitars with some of the definition and fundamental qualities of great American guitars. The result is a uniquely versatile instrument.
My techniques are a mixture of traditional and modern, hand tools and machinery. My policy is to use the best method for each stage of the process, which may be a modern piece of machinery or technology. However, in most cases the best tool is still a sharp chisel, handled with skill, knowledge and experience.
I am pleased to support reforestation efforts with Treenation. Every new guitar is packaged with a tree planting certificate. This initiative is important to me as I source and work with the highest quality tone woods from across the world. I aim to create lasting instruments which also celebrate the beauty of these precious materials.
I enjoy working with guitarists of all genres and abilities to create custom guitars, bespoke to their playing needs. I’m always excited by the unique designs and combinations that my customers challenge me with. It’s the partnership between luthier and client that makes the best instrument.
Let’s start discussing your own custom McNally Guitar.”