INSTRUMENT MAKERS
Port Fairy Folk Festival is proud to host one of the largest interactive hand-made instrument exhibitions in Australia. Marvel at the beauty and craftsmanship that goes into creating your favourite instrument. This is no static exhibition, rather a vibrant and bustling hub of knowledge, information and the joy of playing.
In 2026, the Instrument Makers Exhibition is in the centrally located, Pavilion Venue, see the Arena Map for location, then follow the instruments!
2026 INSTRUMENT MAKERS
Andy Rigby Harps
Andy Rigby has been evolving his “Paraceltic” harp designs for over thirty years and is known around Australia for his passionate love of Celtic and Latin American harp music. Working from his base in Central Victoria, Andy has also run harp-making workshops in Victoria, Queensland and WA. He is in demand as a teacher of folk harp styles in several states and has recorded many albums. His harps feature several Australian timbers and are known for their relative light weight and rich sound.
AVOCET CIGAR BOX GUITARS
Avocet Cigar Box Guitars began in 2015 when its founder Milan Paskas, retired from secondary school art teaching and saw the design and construction of cigar box guitars as a perfect means of combining his long-held interests in art and music.
Believing that the sound quality obtainable from acoustic ‘cbgs’ is unique, Milan has sought to make cbgs for playing, not for just hanging on a wall. A couple of other features affording them a legitimate place alongside their 6-string counterparts are that; their string spacings are a little wider than those of conventional guitars (a dream for those not blessed with ideally proportioned fingers) and the 3 or 4 string open tunings make them easy to play and above all, encourage creativity.
BROOKWOOD GUITARS
There is one rule for cigar box guitars and that is “there ain’t no rules” so you build ’em how you like string ’em how you like and play ’em how you like. I try and use reclaimed timbers whenever possible and Australian hardwoods are my speciality. My guitars are 3 string open G tuned.
Celestial Sound Handpans
Celestial Sound creates handcrafted handspans shaped by sound, science, and soul, with the purpose of inviting connection, curiosity, and play. Each handpan is carefully shaped, tuned, and voiced by hand to produce rich, resonant tones that inspire both personal reflection and communal music-making. Guided by intuition and a reverence for the natural rhythms of vibration, these instruments celebrate balance, harmony, and the sacred interplay of sound and spirit.
DONMO RESONATOR GUITARS
Don Morrison is a songwriter, singer, guitarist, storyteller and guitar maker.
He is also a luthier who makes the world-renowned Donmo Resonator Guitars. More than 500 of these handmade, metal bodied instruments are being played around the world and the two guitars that Don uses on stage are constructed from remnants of his family history. One guitar is made from material found in a pile of rubble that is all that is left of his father’s childhood home in the now abandoned semi-desert town of Perponda in the Murray Mallee. The other guitar is from the dusty remnants of his mother’s now-derelict tin and timber miners cottage in outback Broken Hill.
Don has written all about his guitars in a rollicking autobiography “This Could Be Big”.
Hyde and Clay
Tarek Sawires has been making and selling his drums for over 40 years. Originally from Egypt, Tarek is inspired by traditional methods used to make instruments with clay. He makes clay drums and udu drums thrown on a wheel, skinned with animal hide – each drum has unique sound and design. Tarek is working on a new range of drums with sculptural effects.
Lyons Sculpture Park Gongs
Jon is a professional artist who has been working in a variety of mediums for 30 years. Incorporating sound became part of his practice and has now turned almost exclusively to gongs which are hand crafted at his sculpture park in Western Victoria.
Octigan Guitars
My workshop is situated in the east of Melbourne amongst the foothills of Mt Dandenong, a solo concern where I create every instrument from scratch, also having a carpentry background. I am a self-taught luthier and specialise in building arched instruments such as guitars, mandolins and currently cello. I prefer to use sustainably sourced Tonewoods such as Australian Blackwood, Queensland Maple, Cellerytop and European maple and spruce. Clientele includes professional musicians, collectors and committed enthusiasts many of whom have commissioned builds to suit their own requirements.
Peter Coombe
Peter Coombe is based in Bega NSW and has been making instruments of the mandolin family since 1994 and guitars since 2010. In total there are over 350 instruments and counting. Recent developments include flat top mandolins and Octave mandolins of his own design that are based on guitar construction principles. Many of Peter’s instruments have been exported to north America and Europe. He uses Australian native timbers, as well as the traditional imported timbers, and has written articles about the use of Australian native timbers in mandolins.
Pianos Recycled
For 10-years Pianos Recycled has been dedicated to developing alternatives to landfill for the thousands of old pianos dumped each year. A piano’s purpose is to produce music, so over the last decade we have been collaborating with local makers to hand craft instruments and create new music futures using the materials from unwanted pianos.
Pianos Recycled will showcase unique instruments repurposed from pianos and which also demonstrate some of our efforts to nurture creative communities, climate action, sustainability outcomes, environment wellbeing and progress toward the circular economy.
Rocky Creek Strings
Rocky Creek Strings are family business located in Northern NSW, who have been crafting high-quality instruments for over a decade, mostly Ukuleles. Their ukuleles come in a range of shapes and designs, that produce a rich, mellow sound, made mostly from Australian timbers from sustainable sources. There is a size and sound to suit all players and beginners alike!
Shoma Acoustic
Shoma Subotic is a Melbourne based luthier that produces acoustic guitars under the name of Shoma Acoustics. His mechanical background and passion for woodwork and music fused together and led him to a career in guitar making. Every Shoma Acoustics guitar is produced with finesse and immense attention to detail, creating unique sounding fine instruments. His guitars are produced to order,
allowing every unit to be customised to meet the client’s specific requirements. With orders completed for international customers he is becoming internationally recognised guitar maker. Among other artists, Eric Bibb (USA) and Blair Dunlop (UK) are just a couple of performers who own one of Shoma Acoustics’ guitars.
Syn Whistles
Erle has been making instruments of one sort or another for about 40 years. In that time, he has become a well-known whistle maker under Syn Whistles, which has garnered international acclaim. Erle also enjoys the challenge of engineering and making instruments which are perhaps less often known and played. Come and try the whistles and bodhrans on display this year!
WoodSkin
The Woodskin™ KiKBox® Cajon has significantly advanced the traditional cajon, extending its use into a wide variety of musical genres. With a globally patented built-in pedal kick drum, switchable snare, plus tone and depth controls it offers unparalleled versatility coupled with a uniquely crisp and powerful sound. Additional to traditional cajon hand playing the KiKBox® employs foot pedals to generate the rich bass, snare and tom sounds it is renowned for.
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