A special event as part of Newstead Live!
For more information please check the Newstead Live website
We are so excited to be back with our Art Bar at the 2026 Newstead Live!! Serving up delectable home-made treats, sweets and finger food (VGN, Veg & GF). Standard & AF drinks, wine, beer & mock/cocktails.
We’ve got something for everyone! Indulge in some refreshments and good vibes while listening to musicians and seeing artisans at work creating amazing instruments.
The Hub will host a brilliant array of instrument makers. It’s a great opportunity to see and hear exquisitely crafted handmade instruments, and to talk to the makers about their craft.
Who’s on show this year? Jack Spira, Jeff Wilmott, Mark Aspland, Geoff Doube, Roderick Octigan, Ray Black, Trevor Phillips and Jon Dixon.
Chat, play and perhaps even purchase or commission a beautiful new instrument. Instruments include gongs, guitars (acoustic and electric), banjos, ukuleles, mandolins, Cajon percussion, clay ocarinas and the gumleaf!
Look in the Newstead Live program for The Arts Hub stage to discover Instrument Makers Made & Played sessions as well as a carefully curated selection of Festival performers.
Come and play tunes with others. All instruments welcome.
Jump on the Festival bus and cruise over to the Arts Hub – Heart of the West Bank – or follow the easy walking trail.
Jack Spira is a London trained guitar maker of some 30 years’ experience. He specialises in steel string flat top guitars and related instruments such as tenor guitar and Irish bouzouki. Located in Boolarra, Gippsland Victoria.
W: jackspiraguitars.com
E: jack@jackspiraguitars.com
M: 0417 725 621
Roderick is a boutique builder based in the East of Melbourne. Each instrument he creates is crafted by hand with absolute attention to detail. Using both Australian and imported tone woods, he specialises in acoustic arch tops and caters for the discerning musician who is very particular about tone, responsiveness, feel and playability of the instrument. His commitment to both the aesthetic and sonic quality of each guitar, combined with his love of creating them, means hundreds of hours are spent on each instrument and only two or three are completed each year.
W: octiganguitars.com
E: roderickoctigan@gmail.com
M: 0417 054 327
Trevor makes stringed instruments from a traditional foundation, making use of the freedom to experiment and modify afforded to the small custom builder, enjoying the treasury of local timbers available. He is a firm believer that Australian makers are writing their own chapter in the history of musical instruments, due to a mixture of cultural influences, combined with the unique, locally available timber species.
E: trevor@tpinstruments.com
M: 0431 201 799
Jon makes hand built and turned gongs at his 15-acre sculpture park in Lyons (Western Victoria). Jon is a professional sculptor working in a variety of materials. He started making gongs during the Covid lockdown and now it is his passion. Jon says that the gong-making is incredibly rewarding. It gives him a way to share his creative energy with everyone who engages with his beautiful gongs.
W: lyonssculpturepark.com.au
E: jondixon1@outlook.com
M: 0437 000 433
Jeff has been making ceramics for decades, combining this with a love of playing guitar and other instruments, including the gum leaf. In 1987 Jeff started making and playing ocarinas – small clay flutes – combining his love of pottery and folk music. Jeff also teaches guitar, fiddle, mandolin, didgeridoo and the gum leaf.
M: 0418 723 542
Mark, inventor of the Woodskin™ KiKBox® Cajon has significantly advanced the traditional cajon, extending its use to a wide variety of musical genres and players. With patented built-in pedal driven kick and snare, switchable snare plus tone & depth controls it offers unparalleled versatility with a uniquely crisp and powerful sound.
W: www.woodskin.com
E: mark@woodskin.com
M: 0419 162 540
A banjo or mandolin made by Ray Black is prized by musicians who have taken advantage of Ray’s forty years of experience and experimentation as a luthier. His 5 string and tenor banjos feature hardware fabricated and machined in his workshop; a range of tone rings, woods and finishes create the tone and look you want. His mandolins are built using hand carved Adirondack Spruce tops with Red Maple sides, backs, and necks.
E: fwcfarmer@yahoo.com
M: 0423 230 213
Geoff Doube is a New Zealander of Ngai Tahu descent now living in Melbourne. He is a maker and player of steel string guitars, aiming to bring some of the aesthetic qualities and craftsmanship of classical guitar builders into his work. He sources timber from sustainable sources and honours the living source of the material by treating it with reverence. His guitars are designed to be tonally balanced, responsive and versatile. I love to hear other players using one of my instruments to express themselves.
F: doubeguitars
E: geoffdoube@gmail.com
M: 0449 002 798
