Mervyn Davis Biography

My fascination with instrument building started at a very early age and like many other South African boys I made use of petrol cans in my first attempts. The tale of my father building a mandolin in a prisoner of war camp in Italy during the second world war in addition to being part of a musical family inspired me into more serious instrument building throughout my high school days.

While studying architecture at the university of Port Elizabeth (1974 - 1978) I started receiving commissions from local musicians to build guitars and other instruments. During this period, I was also commissioned by the university to do all required maintenance of the instruments belonging to the music conservatoire.

After graduating in 1978 I started a career in full time instrument making which was only interrupted by two years military service between 1980 and 1982. Working in relative isolation in South Africa resulted in my developing a unique style of instrument building which is characterized by a high content of experimentation.

Although my work has become very different from the classic designs, my passion is still soundly rooted in the beauty of the work of the early masters. My quest remains to build instruments that meet the demands of modern composers, express modern aesthetics and make use of modern technology while retaining the romance and lure of the classic instruments.

Mervyn Davis

Models Offered: All Models. We offer them in stock and by custom order.