Paul Cutting's unique guitar stands have graced the RAM Gallery for several years, and in 2023 Paul created his first guitar for the gallery. The Megadeth guitar has a steel body with a conventional wooden neck and is 100% playable. For 2024 Paul has created another guitar and something very special indeed for the exterior of the gallery. Paul is also guitarist for Uridium, East Anglia heat winners of Bloodstock's Metal 2 The Masses competition in 2023.

Q. How did you get started in metalwork?

“I was hugely influenced by my dad who when I was a child always built hot-rods and custom cars. I've always been very artistic and creative, but struggled to find something to put that into. I worked on the railway for 22 years but still did modifications on cars and built some hot-rods myself, and various bits of steelwork. Then things started to not work out on the railway and I decided to start a businesss for myself. It was supposed to be all artistic and creative things but Covid put a stop to that. I was asked to make a couple of gates and realised that I was really gonna have to continue to do gates and railings and things to continue the business. It took me away from where I should have been, but now I'm really trying to get back to the artwork and creativity.”

Q. How did you first get into music?

“My mum and my uncle were into hard rock and heavy metal. I first heard Meat Loaf and then it was Queen and then Bon Jovi, but I couldn't quite commit to it because it wasn't quite right. When I moved to high school one of my sister's friends passed me a cassette and said 'Have a listen to this!' That was 'Kill 'Em All' by Metallica and that was it, I was sold. The guy kept giving me more and more tapes. I knew then I had to play a guitar and I always wanted to be in a band. Unfortunately I couldn't be in a band with my previous job, so leaving the railway opened the door to me being creative in more than one way.” 

Q. How did you start doing work for [Bloodstock and RAM Gallery founder] Paul Raymond Gregory?

“I'd been in touch with Paul and he asked me to tell him more about the guitar stands I was building. I never liked the idea of having guitars hanging by the nexk. As a guitarist myself, it doesn't sit well with me. If they're on the floor on floor stands, kids, dogs knock them over and so on, and if you ask anybody who plays guitar, their best guitar gets left in the case and it's one of their least-played instruments. They'll pick up a £200 guitar leaning against the wall to do ten or fifteen minutes on because it's easier just to grab it. So I wanted to develop a stand where you could see the guitar and it was also protected.” 

Q. How would you like to transition your business away from commercial and domestic steelwork and into more creative areas?

“I'd like to do some really dark, gothic-style sculpture work in steel – although it's difficult to find a market for that - and I'd love to do more guitars. I don't do the necks. They're done by Rob Johnston from Phoenix Custom Guitars. I would love to do a prdoction guitar with myself working with Rob and turn that into a bit more of a business. I've got an idea for something I want to build for myself to play on stage, but would like to have that available as a production guitar.”

Q. What was your first impression of the RAM Gallery?

“It's amazing. My first year at Bloodstock I didn't go in the gallery as they were doing a signing and thought you needed a pass to go in. I misunderstood what it was about and thought it was VIP only. So it was the second year before I went in. I love proper artwork – paintings and things – and I can sit and look at Paul's paintings for hours. And then you have all the other things like the guitars and the throne. I never expected to see that kind of thing there and it's absolutely brilliant.”

Q. What work will you be featuring this year?

“I don't know if the Megadeth guitar will be there agin this year but I'm working on another one which will be. It's an Amon Amarth guitar with the inspiration taken from the Mjölnir. You know it's a hammer. It's heavy! Also, for the entrance to the gallery, I've made a sign. As you know there's a huge Lemmy tribute this year so the sign is like a massive ace of spades with the Snaggletooth coming out of the middle. It is a RAM Gallery sign but hugely Motorhead-influenced, made out of steel, and you'll walk beneath it to get into the gallery. I had said to Paul last year 'You really need a big entrance sign!' and his eyes lit up. You could tell he wanted to say something but didn't want to give the game away. Obviously last year he knew what would be happening this year with the Lemmy thing, but he didn't give anything away to me for a while!”

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