Sales of acoustic guitars are rocketing in a backlash against manufactured pop, according to a Brighton businessman.

Trevor Moyle, owner of The Acoustic Music Company in St James's Street, said demand for the instrument had grown significantly.

He specialises in handmade guitars, for which prices can reach anything up to £4,000.

Even so the shop, which opened two years ago, now sells ten to 15 guitars a week - usually including one of the more expensive models.

Mr Moyle said a new crop of talented musicians including Damien Rice, Norah Jones and Katie Melua had helped sales soar.

He said: "The acoustic guitar creates a beautiful sound that is unique and just cannot be mimicked by technology.

"Demand for good quality handmade guitars is growing with the rise in popularity of both new and existing artists who are using the instrument.

"What tends to happen is bands like Turin Brakes put acoustic music back into the public consciousness.

"Then people really get into acoustic music and start following individual artists like Martin Simpson and Tommy Emmanuel.

"A lot of my customers are people who have had a guitar sitting around at home for 20 years but never really picked the thing up.

"When their kids leave home they have more time on their hands, they start taking lessons and want to buy something new."

Mr Moyle is not the only one who has noticed an overall increase in acoustic guitar sales. Last month the Government added the instrument to the shopping basket of consumer goods it uses to measure inflation.

Now both the consumer and retail price indexes use sales of acoustic guitars, among other items, as a means of fixing prices.

Duncan James, 50, owner of the Brighton Guitar Centre in St George's Road, agreed sales were booming but had another theory as to why.

He said: "It's fair to say acoustic guitars are selling well but I suspect that has more to do with an increase in the availability of good quality cheap ones.

"The Far East has gone nuts on manufacturing guitars and it has made it much easier for people to find something half-decent."

Thursday April 29, 2004