It was the 1980s when music lover Gary Whitehead decided to try his hand at remodelling a guitar.He had a second- or third-hand Hofner model that was “really beat up” and needed something to practise on.“I wanted something new but couldn't afford it so I used the parts and cut out the middle, made of plywood, and made it look pretty good painting it pearl.”In the end, the guitar looked amazing; the only problem was it didn't play well.“It really sucked because I didn't have the technical skills or know the science behind the guitar and what it takes to build it so it's playable [for a musician].”Despite that failure, Mr Whitehead decided to give building a guitar another shot this year he was surprised by the result.“Every time I go back to Florida and visit my family I was always on the look out for a new guitar. It never really happened because nothing really turned me on and I never really found anything I wanted.“But just this past Christmas I was doing some work with [local singer] Canjelae Taylor and I was part of her back-up band for a New Year's Eve event and right then I thought, 'I want a new guitar', and decided to just try to make my own.”He threw himself into researching the project for about two months.Through online resources he learned there were dozens of different construction methods and found out about different materials he could use.Professional companies often use materials like ash, walnut and ebony because they are commercially available and affordable the hobby guitarist wanted something more original.He talked to furniture builders in the Caribbean to find out how bay grape, cherry and cedar could stand up in a musical instrument.Then he got to work meticulously carving and chiselling the wood to get the perfect shape. In the end it took about three or four months to get his first guitar finished.The groundskeeper at Port Royal Golf Course spent a few hours after work perfecting the guitar every day.The most challenging part was shaping the neck, he said, adding: “I didn't have a machine, so I had to do all the detailing by hand.”He used three different guitars as a reference: the Gibson Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster and Paul Reed Smith. He described his creations as custom mid-range guitars. Similar models on the market cost anywhere from $2,500 to $8,000.Once his work was done, he gave it to local spraybrush artist Robbie Robertson who “brought it to life”.“I have to say after it was all done and I got it back from the painter and seeing it and I was saying to [my wife] Michelle 'I can't believe I did this' and she was agreeing with me.“It looks like it just came out of a guitar shop or something like that. It just looks very high quality and nothing something that is banged together or put together like a novice. It just looks very professional and the proof is in the pudding when my professional guitarist friends agree with me.”Mr Whitehead gave his first completed piece to close friend George Victory — a professional musician in Key West, Florida.“He was performing and I went up to the sound guy and said, 'I have something for George's birthday'.“His mouth dropped open because he was speechless; the crowd got up and was cheering and clapping.”He has since completed a second guitar which is not for sale, but available for potential customers to view. His guitars are priced around $2,500.Mr Whitehead said: “I am thinking this would be suited for the professional and collectors also because someone like a novice beginner wouldn't want something like that because they want something easy and cheaper to use, just like l did when I started out. I wanted something easy that I could bang around.”He first fell in love with the guitar when he was around 14 years old after seeing legendary musician Jimi Hendrix play 'Machine Gun'.Mr Whitehead was completely blown away by his talent.“I didn't even know it was a guitar because of the sound it was making [when Jimmy played]. I thought, 'Who is this guy and what is he playing?' I was just piqued instantly. It was like nothing I had ever heard before.”He took lessons from Norman Astwood, a classmate's father, and has been playing off and on in his spare time since then.Now his passion is constructing the guitars from scratch.“This is why I am alive, the reason I am here. I have done a lot of artsy stuff but this is like the ultimate and has topped everything I have ever done.”For more information send an e-mail gary.glasspider@gmail.com or telephone 532-2542.