Mad Guitars Interview 1 Background & Flagship models

For those who don’t know you yet, can you tell us about your background? Did you attend a lutherie school? Did you follow a training with luthiers already installed ? Were you a musician before becoming a luthier?

I’m a native of Reunion Island. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 15 years old.

My very first guitar was a Stanbury copy Sg, it’s at that age that I started working with wood.

One day, the owner of a music store announced me that the luthier Roger Jacobacci was coming at the store the next day. I went there and presented him my work, and he immediately comforted me in my passion by telling me “You have it in your blood, go for it! ».

After graduating from high school in 1999, I decided to leave my home island in order to look for a master guitar maker in France, but unfortunately this search did not succeed. It was probably in the end for the best because I decided to write to different guitar making schools in Europe and in the United States.

In August 2000, I received a phone call from Adrian LUCAS, tutor at the NEWARK and SHERWOOD COLLEGE electric guitar school in the UK which has a place for me in September !

Fate seemed to be conjured and the adventure was finally beginning.

Mad Guitars Interview 1 Background & Flagship models — Mad Guitars – Aldo Maillot

Apart from creating custom instruments, we know that you do all types of repairs and maintenance on guitars and basses, can you also take care of other types of plucked and rubbed stringed instruments?

After 2 years of specialized studies in guitar making, I went to the Newark Violin School for a 3-year additional training.

I am therefore technically capable of repairing violins, but today I prefer to concentrate on guitars.

Can you tell us about your flagship models of the moment? Do you have a range that you make regularly? Do you also make unique custom models ? What kind of musicians are they for ?

The main models of the moment: the Mad-Machines and the No-Mads

These guitars are very “metal” typed and are entirely made in France.

I make my own bridge system in France and these instruments are equipped with French-made pickups.

The Mad Machine and the No-Mad are my standard models, so they are made very regularly.

I also make unique custom models.

The process of creation starts with the drawing board and then goes through computer modeling.