Guitar Expert Brings Brazilian Skills to Oswestry Shop

Alessandro Velozo owns Velozo Guitars on Leg Street. His business is doing well. He had success in Sao Paulo and Lisbon before. Alessandro started in Brazil music shops, and made his first guitar with his dad, who knew how to work with wood. They tried to build a guitar together, but Alessandro said it was terrible.

He then got a job at a Sao Paulo guitar shop selling guitars. Some guitars needed adjustments, and Alessandro offered to work on them. He was told not to mess them up, but people began giving him repair jobs. He fixed guitars until late at night, and more guitars always appeared.

Alessandro then opened his own workshop where he did repairs and setups. He also made his own custom guitars. After years in Brazil, he moved to Lisbon and started another thriving workshop. Patrick Eggle Guitars then invited him to the UK.

Alessandro sent Patrick Eggle his work. He thought the UK was small and rural, and wasn’t sure about moving there. He liked big cities like Sau Paulo, but now he doesn’t want to leave. He loves the peace and safety.

Alessandro first worked at Patrick Eggle’s factory. He also started a small workshop on Welsh Walls. Interest grew, and he worked late. His Welsh Walls building closed, and he found his current shop on Leg Street, which opened in April last year.

Alessandro now works full-time at his shop, having left Patrick Eggle on good terms in January. His shop has three business areas. He provides a marketplace for used guitars, offers a repair and setup service, and builds custom guitars.

Alessandro said guitars usually come with factory setups, and people don’t know they can be better. Shops usually don’t do setups. Alessandro is most proud of his custom guitars, which take two months to build. He makes them to the customer’s needs, and they also have a vintage look.

His dream is to only build guitars. People often buy famous brands to resell them, but people buy his custom guitars for better play. Customers visit from many places, including Liverpool and Manchester. He wants to source materials locally, and says there are nice things here.

He believes no one gets rich doing this, but it’s doing what you love. He says it’s not work then, it’s just like that.