Recent bouts of pondering coupled with conversations with friends led to a very real and pressing need to explore the tonal implications of flatwound strings on a flat top guitar.  Because why not?

Obviously a set of flats isn't going…

I'd like to share this new piece with you - It's called Birdseye and while it's still a work in progress to some extent, I managed to pull off a take during some long-overdue time spent with loved ones in…

Maple is a wood that divides opinion amongst acoustic guitarists with almost surgical precision. "It's too bright, There's no bass, it's too trebly, it's sterile" etc are accusations often levelled at this superb wood. 

Cheerfully I say unto you "Bollocks". 

…

I'm very happy to present the first episode of Guitar.com's guide to alternate tunings for acoustic guitar in association with Elixir Strings!

Yes, I have been a little quiet here, the main reason is that with the easing of the…

I have made no secret of my admiration for the work of luthier Michihiro Matsuda (Oakland CA). Since first meeting him in 2009 I have been regularly left dumbfounded by the extraordinary elegance and startling lines of his instruments. As…

Practice - it's a huge topic for every musician and everyone approaches it in their own way. 

I'm often asked to recommend ways to make practice more effective. I have found that nothing beats discipline, intent, focus and a little…

Ok here we go! Quilted Mahogany from The Tree is the rarest and most expensive tone wood in the world. Its striking figure and rich colour makes The Tree immediately identifiable but what is it like to own a guitar…

My friend Alan Gogoll came out of nowhere (well, Australia) with his astonishing Bell Harmonic technique and promptly became king of Spotify, Lord of Instagram and Thrice Blessed keeper of the Algorithm. With an audience that numbers in the millions…

Ordering your first custom guitar is an incredibly exciting experience as well as a considerable investment in time, emotions and money. With this video I want to give you the tools to get it right by asking the sort of…

This is a question I am often asked - how much does the signature style of a guitar maker differ? Well, I just filmed two instruments by Rosie Heydenrych of Turnstone Guitars with contrasting personalities that still retain the Turnstone…

The Virtuous circle is from my debut album Vetiver and it is a piece that has a unique hold over me.

Part dream state, part letter it changes each time I play it. The beginning is deliberately tentative, even faltering…

As promised, here is the first Accessories Review video of the year!

We all know that a good winder can be your best friend when you experience a snapped string but it would be stretching the facts absurdly to describe…

African Blackwood! Heavy, powerful, rare, eye-wateringly expensive and deeply elegant but surely there is more to this exotic tone wood than just a Brazilian Rosewood substitute? 

Delicious...

With a ferocious Casimi C3 Signature fan fret in hand I explore some…

I have been a heartfelt endorser of Elixir Strings for years and when they invited me to take part in a long-distance collaboration, featuring artists from all over the world, I was delighted to accept!

Octet is a composition by…

Sometimes you just have to play it all out. This was one of those times. I'm playing a beautiful Supro Belmont into a Cornford Hurricane for this Fat Possum meets Buena Vista improvised Slide Blues. I hope you enjoy it. 

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Thinking back over the past year I am tremendously grateful for the vocal support and appreciation of my growing audience. 2020 did not go to plan for any of us but knowing you were out there helped me to keep…

When electric guitar renegade Matte Henderson recommends a guitar builder to me I sit up and take notice! The man has impeccable taste and many of the instruments he has commissioned are pretty much exactly what I would have chosen…

Since I uploaded the latest video in my Michael Watts Plays... series I have received several messages asking for more details about Bog Oak (and its many other names).

A Bog Oak guitar yesterday

In this latest episode of my…

I have spent an enjoyable couple of days in the company of this OMC model by British luthier Jamie Swannell. 

That's quite fetching isn't it?

This is the first example of Jamie's work that I've played and I'm grateful…

Long-term readers will be well aware that I need very little excuse to spend some time with a Turnstone guitar. As such I was very happy to be asked to review one of Rosie Heydenrych's E series (all English…

I started my One Take Performance series as a way of keeping in touch with pieces that will feature on my second album HYLAB as and when I am able to complete it. 

I did actually listen back to the…

Rosie Heydenrych of Turnstone Guitars can always be relied upon to bring me something I've never played before and in this case it's a gorgeous TM model in the fashionable Bearclaw Alpine Spruce but also, apple!

And why not? Apple…

Hello everyone,

I've been pretty ridiculously busy this past couple of weeks but I finally found the time to get in front of the camera for a one-take performance of Between Streets on my Gretsch White Falcon.

A Gretsch White…

It's been an interesting couple of weeks...

When Guitar Magazine editor Chris Vinnicombe told me of Guitar.com's grand plan to hold a huge on-line guitar festival featuring some of the biggest names in the six-string world I thought he'd lost…

I've had a lot of emails asking about my thoughts on Moon-Harvested Alpine Spruce or "Moon Spruce" as it's more commonly known. That's hardly surprising as it's regarded by many as the ultimate spruce choice and often means a significant…