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An interview with Martin Harmer, founder of Guitar Assembly
Just a short walk from his home in Barnsley you’ll find Martin Harmer’s office at The Business Village. It’s here that Martin, founder of Guitar Assembly, is setting out the groundwork for the next chapter of his business. He’s combining his love for guitar building with technology and online education.
Martin’s journey began in 2015 in his home county of Essex. After being made redundant from his job in the care sector, he took a leap of faith and followed his passion for guitars. His first step was enrolling on an acoustic building course at London Metropolitan University. But it was a local lute builder that really helped shape his path.
“I walked into his workshop pretending I knew what I was doing,” Martin recalls with a smile. “He saw right through me but decided to train me anyway.”
Under his mentor’s guidance, Martin learned repairs and lute building. But then tragedy struck, and his mentor passed away suddenly. A new guitar builder moved into the workshop and Martin continued honing his craft by volunteering on courses.
In 2017, Martin moved to Barnsley and set up a workshop offering guitar repairs. The timing was perfect as two local repair shops closed their doors within his first six months.
Martin’s business thrived and he expanded into custom guitar builds and 1-1 training courses.
But then the Covid pandemic hit. Face to face courses stopped and Martin had to adapt. He began doing repairs from his garage and took on freelance work with a guitar manufacturing company in York. They offered him a permanent job, but this ended abruptly when the company folded. What followed was a challenging period, both personally and professionally.
Today, Martin’s business has evolved. While he still takes on guitar repairs, his main focus is on CAD modelling and creating an online course.
“I use Fusion 360 software to design 3D models of guitars,” Martin explains. “These models are used by hobbyists and professional builders to programme CNC machines for manufacturing. It’s a steep learning curve and while YouTube has some helpful videos, there’s not a lot of in-depth guidance available.”
Martin’s course, aimed at guitar builders worldwide, will offer pre-recorded videos that people can access at any time. Until the course is live, he’ll continue offering 1-1 training via video call, often waking early to speak with US-based customers.
When Martin decided to relaunch his business, he chose The Business Village for its convenience – just a five minute walk from home. After a month as a tenant, he’s already finding it a great fit.
“I found the 24/7 access useful when I was moving in,” Martin says. “It’s a nice supportive environment here, and the other tenants are lovely.”
Although Martin has been focused on work and not explored all the additional facilities, he’s optimistic about the possibilities. He’s even put his name down for a workshop space which would allow him to return to guitar building alongside his training course.
Martin’s vision for the future is clear. His priority right now is to launch his online course and create a steady stream of passive income. But once that’s established, he plans to balance education with hand-on guitar building and repairs.
“I enjoy repairs,” he shares. “But I need to stay focused and not spread myself too thinly. I’m planning to update my website and YouTube channel with new content, get the course up and running, and then build from there.”
To learn more about Martin’s work:
