I just got back from spending Christmas in Williamsburg VA. And while there had a very enjoyable (but too short) visit with George Wilson.
I had a great time at George’s shop. In fact, I was so enthralled with what I was seeing and what we were talking about, I almost ENTIRELY forgot to take pictures George is kind of a night owl, so I went to see him around 9:00PM and didn’t leave until about 11:00pm. George, as I’m sure you know, does some amazing work (even more impressive in person than they are in pictures) and he showed me a number of guitars he made, or was in the process of making. Then he took me out to his shop. George has one of the biggest and best equipped privately owned shops I’ve ever seen. He’s got a fully equipped wood shop that takes up the space of about a two car garage, then his metal/machine shop takes up about another four cars worth of space (complete guestimate on my part) Not being a machinist, I will admit to being a bit lost when he was describing his various machine tools and their capabilities, but it was fascinating anyway for what I could pick up.
George also has an amazing collection of wood, and other materials. He has some pieces that had me floored and wondering if I could possibly make it to my car without George noticing I hope someday I can find pieces like that, and that I know what to do with them if I do ever find them.
George was very accommodating and generous with his time. I would have liked to be able to actually watch him work on some things, but time just wouldn’t permit that.
Then armed with some insights and tips, our visit to Williamsburg was very enjoyable. Although with four youngish kids in tow, we felt like we barely scratched the surface in our two days of walking around. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we upgraded our two-day tickets to annual passes, and plan to go back in the spring (when it's a bit warmer).
Thanks a bunch to George for your generosity, and thanks to all here on the Creek who provide your knowledge and inspiration to those of us who aspire... I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and all the best in the coming year!