Guitar repair man to rock music stars sets up shop in Nairn
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Thomas Nilsen has worked with the likes of Keith Richards and Lenny Kravitz and is now bringing his considerable talents to the Highlands.
"I was given my first guitar when I was about five or six years old. When I was eight, I was so curious about how the guitar itself worked, that I started to pull that guitar apart. My dad was not too excited about it – I can’t really repeat what he said when he saw what I had done!”
It was curiosity that drove Thomas Nilsen (50) from that first moment of discovery to becoming an internationally-renowned luthier and guitar engineer, now embarking on a new adventure in Nairn.
Born in Norway to a former professional guitarist, he was surrounded by guitars and musical instruments from a very young age. As a teenager he started playing in bands, but it was his inquisitiveness which then led him to enrol in an instrument-making school, after which he went on to work in a guitar shop. Little did he know that he would become a household name working with a plethora of celebrated musicians – ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Mark Knopfler, Keith Richards and Lenny Kravitz, to name a few.
“I was very lucky, it took me into a new adventure – when I was digging into the tone of guitars which I was not particularly happy about at that time,” Thomas said.
“I wanted to find ways to make the guitars sound better. Eventually this led me to become connected with famous people. They invited me to have a look at their guitars – I’ve been working on some very iconic guitars, such as Gibbons’ 1959 Les Paul’s – also known as Pearly Gates, and with some of the guitars these people have been using on recordings and playing live with.
“I was very lucky – some of these artists became good friends, opened their doors and took me in to have a look at guitars they’ve been using all these years. I have been working on very delicate guitars, getting under the hood, seeing what’s going on underneath why these guitars sound so particularly good and doing maintenance on some of them. I’m really grateful and I really appreciate having that opportunity to do it.”
After leaving Norway to work in the UK, Thomas moved to Nairn last year, following his partner and looking for a change of life.
“I met a beautiful person who lives in Nairn, and it was natural for me to relocate,” he said. “Once I was visiting and my car broke down here, so I was stuck for some time. But I loved it and it felt natural to move here. I really love the place, it reminds me a bit of Norway in a way.”
Now that he has moved to the Highlands, Thomas wants to bring his expertise and passion to serve the local community.
“I have been working on guitars for 32 years now,” he said. “When I moved to Nairn I saw there was a need for a professional luthier to fix and repair instruments, electronics like the guitars, amplifiers, pedals, PA systems, mixers… all the products that come with the musical industry.
“There’s a lot of musicians in this area, and all these instruments they are using, they will need maintenance and they need a proper set-up.
“It’s like cars: a guitar will probably need a maintenance at least three times a year minimum to keep the instrument in a good condition to be played.”
Setting up Nairn Guitar Service, Thomas hopes it will take off.
He said: “It’s for the local community, to have a place they can go to and have the professional service, so I want to offer my skill set to the community in the Highlands. It’s all about providing a service where you can help everyone at all levels.
“If the demand is there we are definitely looking at expanding and if that happens I’d be keen to take on new apprentices.”
As well as the immediate community, Thomas will be looking to make his talents available more widely with a mobile service for people living within around 50 miles of Nairn, where musicians can get their instruments picked up and repaired instead of having to send them away themselves and risk seeing them damaged in transit.
In the meantime he and his partner are enjoying the local music scene.
“I’m just amazed how positive the music scene is,” he said. “I saw many people playing in venues like The Bandstand, and I hope I can help support local artists.
“I’ve been doing this for many years, and I probably have a name in the industry, but I just want people to know they will get professional help when they come to me, and they will get a proper service as well as guidance on what they can do to maintain their instrument.”
You can learn more about Thomas and his work on Facebook and by emailing nairnguitarservice@gmail.com
