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Michael Watts

  • HOME
  • LATEST NEWS
  • ABOUT
    • Resumé
  • GETTING TO KNOW YOU
  • MUSIC
    • VETIVER
    • HYLAB
    • ONE TAKE
  • BOOK ME - LOCKDOWN PRESENTS
  • ONLINE LESSONS
  • YOUTUBE
  • INTERVIEWS
    • GUITAR.COM LIVE
    • INSTAGRAM LIVE
    • LUTHIER STORIES
    • WRITTEN INTERVIEWS
  • TABLATURE
  • GUITARS
    • MICHAEL WATTS PLAYS
    • TONE WOOD VIDEOS
    • GUITAR REVIEW VIDEOS
    • HINTS AND TIPS
  • COMMISSIONS
  • MAILING LIST

Viewing: Wood - View all posts

Jan 17 2021

African Blackwood - Expensive Brazilian Rosewood Substitute?

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…

Dec 12 2020

The World Of Modern Luthiery - With Martin Simpson

British guitarist Martin Simpson is more than just an award-winning internationally successful musician. He is, to my mind, pretty much the epicentre of the modern luthier-built acoustic guitar scene on both sides of the Atlantic.

In fact, I'll go one…

Nov 21 2020

Bog Oak - What is it? Is it any Good?

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…

Nov 19 2020

Here's a Swannell OMC in Bog Oak!

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…

Oct 8 2020

Apple? It's a Turnstone, anything is possible!

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…

Sep 17 2020

Moon Spruce - What is it? Is it worth the cost?

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…

Sep 16 2020

Playing a Casimi C3 Signature Fanfret

The latest episode in my "Michael Watts Plays..." series is out now and it features one of my favourite Fanfret guitars on the planet - this mighty Casimi C3 Signature in African Blackwood and Moon-Harvested Alpine Spruce. 

Take a look!

…

Jul 28 2020

Watch me chat with Paul Heumiller!

Since I began my Instagram Live video series I have had more requests to chat with Paul Heumiller of Dream Guitars than any other figure in the modern acoustic scene. I was very happy to sit down and talk guitar…

Jul 24 2020

The Taran Oreval

I have had the pleasure of playing several beautiful Taran guitars over the years but one model has been on my list for a while - The Oreval. This is Rory Dowling's biggest guitar and I was intrigued to find…

Jul 23 2020

Some Thoughts on Redwood Guitars - Do They Work?

I've been thinking about redwood, I've been thinking about tone, I've been thinking about Koa and the world's biggest necklace etc... Apologies to the great Bob Dylan there...

Seriously though - Redwood can divide opinion amongst fingerstyle guitarists and over…

Jul 9 2020

McNally Guitars Review - The Guitar Magazine August 2020 Issue!

The latest issue of The Guitar Magazine features my review of an instrument by Ciaran McNally - Check it out, I hope you'll enjoy it!


It's very pretty...

Until next time, Stay Tuned!

Michael 

May 26 2020

Watts x Greenfield Instagram Live Video

Chatting with super luthier Michael Greenfield about any subject whatsoever is one of life's real pleasures. Here, in all its rough and ready glory is an hour of exactly that - from the advantage that a solid foundation in guitar…

May 21 2020

A Kostal Guitar for President Jimmy Carter

In a recent chat with Jason Kostal he told me about a fascinating project he'd undertaken to create an instrument for 39th President of the USA Jimmy Carter!

President Carter with his new Kostal OM

The guitar is made from…

May 19 2020

Thoughts on Sinker Redwood - The Guitar Magazine

Redwood, and in particular Sinker Redwood, has grown to prominence in the past couple of decades as an alternative soundboard wood for acoustic guitars and I regularly field queries about my thoughts on its use as a soundboard wood. As…

May 14 2020

Watts x Kostal - Instagram Live - Saturday 16th May

It was a real pleasure to catch up with my dear friend Jason Kostal in an Instagram Live chat last Saturday! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the session where we discuss the history of the fingerstyle acoustic…

Apr 14 2020

Collaborating with Luthier Thierry André - A Fingerstyle Archtop

One of the guitars I was most looking forward to playing at the grand finale of the Holy Grail Guitar Show is a collaboration that I have been working on with luthier Thierry André of Quebec. This is he. As…

Mar 31 2020

Interview with DA Musical HQ - Berlin

It was a real pleasure to talk with Dominic Adelbert of DA Musical Radio in Berlin today for a live stream interview where we look at all sorts of different things from inspiration from non-guitarists, modern luthiery and sustainability, and…

Feb 21 2020

Catching Up With Rosie Heydenrych - Turnstone Guitars

One of the joys of a visit to the Turnstone Guitars workshop is a cup of tea and a chat with Rosie Heydenrych, the luthier behind all these beautiful instruments. 

This time we filmed it (it's been a while!) as…

Feb 10 2020

Cypress with Rosie - Some beautiful new Turnstone Guitars!

It's always a pleasure to visit Rosie Heydenrych of Turnstone Guitars - all the more so because I can be pretty sure that due to her constant explorations of English woods she'll have something for me to play that I've…

Jul 21 2019

Designing a Guitar with Martin Simpson - Rory Dowling (Taran Guitars)

Over the past few years Rory Dowling of Taran Guitars has been working on a very special new design with legendary UK guitarist Martin Simpson! Yes, really!

Taking inspiration from a 1930's Martin and Rory's Tirga Mhor design this…

Jul 3 2019

1000 Miles of Texas Desert with Jason Kostal - Luthier Stories

The desert is a weird place. And there's a lot of it. Especially in-between Phoenix and Spring Branch... 

It was this desert that Jason Kostal and I would traverse in an epic 1000 mile road trip through Arizona, New Mexico…

Jun 16 2019

5000 Year Old Bog Oak - Is it any Good?

Well, that's a very good question! As the buying public's appetite for exotic woods (especially post-CITES Dalbergia alternatives) has increased, there has been something of a rush to find the next, greatest, coolest, rarest, oldest, etc woods possible. One choice…

Mar 26 2019

The Fretboard Journal - Luthier on Luthier Podcast

I firmly believe The Fretboard Journal to be one of the gold standards for printed guitar journalism worldwide and the magazine itself is truly a thing of beauty. One thing you don't get in the hard copy, of course, is…

© Michael Watts 2020