GS Handcraft

GS Handcraft: discover bespoke musical instrument makers

In a world where generic and mass-produced items surround us from every angle, a small workshop defies all odds and creates beautiful, bespoke and handcrafted musical instruments. Born from the idea of one man who wanted to play a quality instrument but was not able to afford one, the GS Handcraft brand started its story in 2012. From then onwards, the founder Goran Siljanoski, along with his wife and biggest supporter Sandra, have aimed all their efforts into crafting exquisite instruments handcrafted to the tiniest of details.

I came across this brand when I was visiting Macedonia a few years back and accidentally heard about a man who made guitars in Ohrid. I asked around, found their phone number and visited their shop. What I found was a warm welcome accompanied by coffee, homemade elderberry juice, and cookies. Goran and Sandra were very welcoming and we talked for a couple of hours about their work and the driving force behind GS Handcraft. I left amazed with them and got a handmade wooden guitar pick as a present.

The wish to play a beautiful instrument that will reflect the musician’s true nature has inspired Goran to start learning the woodworking techniques of the old masters of the instrument-building craft and use them in his line of work. His first creation was a bespoke guitar body fitted on an already existing guitar neck, but soon after followed his first complete guitar. A little later came the stave snare drum, then the complete drum set and the rest, as they say, is history.

Macedonian woods “sing” beautifully

In the world of instrument making, there are several species of wood that are taken as a standard like maple and mahogany. Sourcing this kind of wood was difficult at the beginning, so Goran decided to experiment and use woods sourced from exclusively locally, from Macedonia. Scouring lumber yards for ethically-sourced woods, he started with the obvious choices: walnut and cherry, and later also black locust and ash wood.

Using walnut, cherry, ash and black locust have proven very successful for GS Handcraft. These wood species have given the GS Handcraft instruments a unique sound and beautiful look. But it is not only the wood that goes into the making of a beautiful guitar or a drum.

Goran was always good at working with his hands; this is reflected in the level of detail featured in his works. Each and every instrument that has come out of the GS handcraft workshop is unique and crafted to perfection. Sandra took over the finishing part of the work. She perfected the painstaking French polish technique and finishes each guitar and drum with shellac to a high-gloss finish that highlights all the gorgeous details of the wood and instrument.

Unique recognition for every artist

The GS Handcraft team believes that every person is unique, and they deserve to play a unique instrument crafted to their desires. They do not implore a “standard model” policy, but custom-tailor each instrument per the desires of its future owner.

It is rare to find a musical instrument company that does this, as only the high-end brands provide a semblance to customization, which still includes variations of their standard models. But the company policy that GS Handcraft represents is the complete opposite: each client states his wishes regarding their new instrument. The clients can select the woods used in their new instrument; select the hardware, tuners, pickups, down to the little details that mean the difference between a beautiful and a unique, truly remarkable instrument.

The results of their work have put smiles on many faces. As Goran says, there is no greater satisfaction than the look of amazement on the face of the client when he sees the instrument of his dreams in real life for the first time. I was smiling for a week when I went to their shop to pick up my GS Handcraft beauty, the bespoke guitar crafted per my exact wishes.

GS Handcraft also runs a restoration shop

The business of building new instruments is good, but many times there are customers that come at the GS Handcraft shop with old instruments with great emotional, financial and even historical value. Goran and Sandra have started a restoration shop for these kinds of cases, and from the beginning, they have breathed new life into precious old instruments.

Some of the notable restorations include a 100-year old violin that someone sat on and destroyed almost completely, a Sonor signature drum set that was severely damaged in a flood, a 200+-year violin found in a dilapidated house and restored to perfection, many broken guitars fixed and brought to perfect working order and plenty of other instruments.

How the COVID-19 crisis affects GS Handcraft?

It is not easy weathering any storm, but since Goran and Sandra understand struggles, one could say they have been preparing for these dark days. People all over the world are suffering due to this global crisis, and GS Handcraft is no exception. People are afraid to look at anything other than the bare necessities, so there is not a lot of demand for bespoke musical instruments.

Still, Goran and Sandra are not giving up. They have started working on a new custom guitar and using this time to experiment with a fresh idea about a snare drum that has been floating in Goran’s thoughts for a while. We have stayed in touch over the years, we talk regularly on the phone and bounce ideas of how to keep this beautiful craft alive and have more people hear about them.

What does the future hold for GS Handcraft?

I think that GS Handcraft will overcome this crisis, as Sandra says, they thrive under pressure. Maybe their newest instruments created during the COVID-19 crisis will make an impact in the musicians’ world and raise the bar in the bespoke instrument market.

I believe in them and really want to see them succeed, as their policy of using ethically-sourced woods and building impeccable instruments should become a standard that more similar brands use. Until this crisis ends, I’ll play my bespoke GS Handcraft guitar with the beautiful handmade wooden GS guitar pick and root for them.