BRIAN Eastwood made his first guitar at 11 because he couldn't afford to buy one - that was 40 years and 400 guitars ago!

His instruments have struck a chord with groups all over the country and his childhood favourite Hank Marvin has played an Eastwood guitar.

Brian, from Newchurch Road, Stacksteads, said: "My enthusiasm for guitars comes from watching Hank Marvin who really impressed me with his TV appearances when I was a child.

"I told my mum I was going to become a guitar maker and she said it was fine but my dad said I was stupid and there was no way!"

Brian sold his first guitar when he was just 15.

After art colleges in Rochdale and Cardiff, he joined a professional band for a month and then in 1973 formed a band, Three's A Crowd, in which he played bass guitar.

He said: "Other people started asking me to make guitars and I started to build up a business making and repairing guitars.

"I decided to give up my job as a wagon driver to concentrate on making guitars and have not looked back."

He made a mouth-shaped guitar for comedian and musician Tony King who introduced Brian to Showaddywaddy, for whom he created a famous 'blue moon' guitar.

It featured on Top of the Pops when the group performed its 1980 single Blue Moon, which is now the anthem for Manchester City, was used to promote The Ultimate Guitar Book and was bought by collector Paul Day.

He has repaired guitars for Manchester band New Order, 10CC and Cast among others and Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience has played an Eastwood guitar.

One of his most recent creations, a silver star-shaped guitar, was commissioned by Stars In Their Eyes and will be seen when young children 'become' Abba on the programme on September 7.

He has just created a five-stringed instrument in the shape of a large lyre which incorporates a mandolin, regular guitar, half bass, classical guitar and a violin.

It was suggested by percussionist Joseph Caswell, from Edgeside, with whom Brian and fellow guitarist Boo Long are in a band called Pie who play regularly at the Railway in Saddleworth and will be recording a CD in September.

He said: "It took six months to develop and I have no orders yet but I am waiting for the patent to come through. It is the best, most useful instrument I have made and the most complex."

Brian added: "I have lots of plans and drawings I've wanted to build for a long time."