Wray Guitars’ luthier Tom Wray has worked with wood since he can remember. Under the tutelage of his father, he built his first guitar at 12 years old. His dad saw plans for a Gibson-style dreadnought in Popular Mechanics magazine, and as he was confined to a wheelchair, Tom was required to do anything he could not.

 

Throughout his childhood he built a machine to dry and fluff stump socks, changed the transmission in the family car from manual to automatic, and built and installed hand controls for that same car so his father could continue to drive. Most projects involved some aspect of working with wood, and under his direction, Tom built a 24-foot cabin cruiser and several other boats. His father taught him to be innovative, thorough and always, always, do nothing less than your best.

Tom’s career in the wood products industry has encompassed many facets including residential construction and renovation, and custom millwork. At the University of British Columbia (UBC), Tom set up and managed North American’s first university-level laboratory dedicated to the wood products industry. For 13 years he was responsible for machinery procurement and installation, scheduling, safety and a host of other duties at UBC’s Centre for Advanced Wood Processing.

The lutherie bug surfaced in 1989 when the gift of a book on dulcimer construction rekindled Tom’s interest.  Having slowly honed his skills since, Tom builds performance quality custom instruments for discerning musicians and collectors. Wray Guitars’ mission is to build instruments that are world class – both sonically and aesthetically – while continuously exploring and innovating.

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View below Canadian musician James Anthony play a Wray Guitars “000”/OM model.