The Guitar Man ‘Tully’ a Mossman icon
MOSSMAN ICON
SURROUNDED by scores of guitars and vintage pianos, and the parts that help produce the melodic sounds, Mossman icon Tully is never too far from his giant-size shed where he has literally not missed a beat in repairing and tuning guitars for some of the biggest names in Australian music.
Tully – more formally Nicholas Raymond Court – is your quintessential Guitar Man. And when you visit his oasis of musical treasures, he’ll either be managing the intricacies of re-building a guitar, or deciding how best to restore a century-old Ronisch piano.
But there is more to the man with the magical fingers who has mixed with some of the biggest names around. He can manufacture coffee tables and bar counters from timber slabs, all designed in classic fashion making it a much talked-about centrepiece.
It is some 40 years that Tully began plying his trade and renowned for his unashamed perfectionism and superb craftsmanship, his initial contact and entrepreneur Michael Gudinski led to him to the likes of Molly Meldrum, bands such as AC/DC, The Little River Band, Mondo Rock, Skyhooks, The Angels, Chain and The Ferretts.
“Meeting the likes of Gudinski and Molly was the kind of break you need. To my mind, Molly has done a great deal for the Australian music industry and I feel real humbled to have known him,” says Tully.
“The same can be said of Gudinski and these are the people who can open doors. This has allowed me to not only ply my trade, but be part of the wonderful world of ‘musos’,” he says.
Gudinski is a leading figure in the Australian music industry. He is mostly known for forming the highly successful Australian record company Mushroom Records in 1972 through whom he signed several generations of Australian musicians and performers ranging from MacKenzie Theory, the Skyhooks, The Choirboys, Kylie Minogue, and New Zealand's Split Enz.
Tully can thank a young Melbourne musician for getting him into guitar repairing which ultimately changed his life.
“I was a panel beater and spray painter and a young ‘muso’ who was working for me, needed work done to his Stratocaster – an electric guitar – and this is how it all began.
“I then got to work in a music shop in Sydney and eventually found myself here in Mossman where I could not be happier surrounded by these magnificent instruments,” he says.
Describing himself as someone who can repair any stringed instrument, Tully likes to take care of local musician’s guitars.
But then, for someone with his immense talent, he has the ability to change his focus and tend to a Ronisch piano, which is more than 100 years old. “This is a massive undertaking as I am re-building it. Ronisch pianos are world famous. They are one of the oldest and most famous piano manufacturers dating back to 1845,” he says.
Tully readily concedes the work he does is intricate and being a perfectionist he will not release a guitar unless he is 100 per cent satisfied.
“I love what I do and I want my clients to be happy with the finished product, albeit a guitar, piano or a coffee table. It’s tough being a perfectionist,” he says with a chuckle.
And Tully’s work is never done. Although some of the time he likes to do it in a relaxed and uninterrupted environment. “Can you drop me at the pub, I need to discuss a few things with my mates,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.
If you want to learn more about Tully, give him a call on 0428 737 115.
