About Us

Timeless Instruments was started in 1980 by David Freeman. He has repaired instruments since 1974 and began designing & building his own in 1980. The Guitar Construction Training started in 1986. The Luthier Supplies began in 1987.

The location is Tugaske, a Central Saskatchewan farm and artist community offering focus & solitude for the fine art and craftsmanship of Lutherie.

In his career, David has built and repaired most fretted string instruments such as guitars, resonators, arch tops, bouzoukis, mandolins, violins, dulcimers, harps, and is currently developing violin Bow construction. He is using traditional woods as well as researching alternative tonewoods as the traditional woods have become difficult to acquire or endangered.

For commissioned instruments aged wood, some cut in the 1960's, is available at a premium. This has been collected over the years in David's personal supply. A large inventory of current wood can be used for commissioned pieces. See the Finished Instrument section to view his work, designs & concepts.

This inventory is available for the mail-order Lutherie Supplies. Timeless Instruments re-saws timber to manufacture guitars, allowing some custom cutting for special orders. We also carry a large inventory or pearl and shell for Inlay work. If you don't see an item you need contact us david@timelessinstruments.com as it may be in stock or easily fabricated.

There is a good inventory of Traditional woods and a rotating stock of new alternative woods. David has worked with the different alternatives to assess their properties. Check out the Finished Instruments.

The Lutherie Training program began in 1986 making it is one of the longest running guitar construction schools. Conceived to condense a 7 year apprenticeship into 7 weeks, the student is immersed in the process of Design, Construction, Assembly Finishing, and Set-up. A forty hour week of class time along with evening access & weekend assignments introduces the individual to the skills of hand tools, power tools and the structure / acoustic balance of a crafted instrument. This is a hands-on experience with a finished Guitar to take home as well as the knowledge to do it again.

Timeless Instruments is licensed Private Vocational School under Saskatchewan Education Employment & Immigration.

The course is modular. Once you have the initial Guitar Construction Training, you can branch into an area of your interest to further your studies and skills. In addition to the Resonator or Harp options one could build a Arch top Mandolin, Cutaway Guitar, study repair, Electric Guitar, dulcimer or Bouzouki. If you have another area of Lutherie you want to pursue discuss with David to design training for it.

David's SKILL crosses into art as well. This is reflected in the Inlays, using shell, wood, metal, and stone. He also creates Sculptural pieces on commission. An interest in Jewelry is a sideline.

The Sonic Sitka Project is a 10 year study on the development of sound in a Guitar top. Over one hundred guitars were built by a cross-section of luthiers and are assessed once a year to track the changes. See the Sonic Page to view David's Creation #27 a GM-03 offset soundhole 24-fret cutaway.