G. R. Bear

Growing up on a farm in rural New South Wales Australia, Rye started his woodworking journey at a young age with his father, who is a trained wooden boat builder and traditional timber framer. Working with his father he learned the majority of his fine woodworking skills, from building cedar canvas canoes to raising modern timber frame homes and everything in between. At 15 Rye apprenticed with master classical guitar builder Graham Caldersmith. During the seven year apprenticeship under Graham he learned the fundamental ways in which to achieve physical aspects of the guitars sound, balance from bass to treble, clarity, sustain, projection and power that holds very evenly as you play up the neck. Rye now crafts only a handful of unique custom guitars per year, utilizing modern bracing techniques, acoustic resonance tuning, meticulous engineering and a clean defined aesthetic. He utilizes Australian native timbers such as Blackwood, Gidgee, Mulga, Desert Leopard Wood and Brigalow for their unique aesthetic, amazing mechanical properties and one of a kind tonal character. Every aspect of the Instruments Rye builds is tailored to creating a guitar with an open, full and rich acoustic palette that is inspiring for the musician. Now living and building instruments in Vancouver, Canada with his partner Celina Jacinto and son Koa.