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…
Read moreNov 19 2020
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…
Read moreOct 8 2020
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…
Read moreSep 17 2020
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…
Read moreSep 16 2020
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!
…
Read moreJul 28 2020
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…
Read moreJul 24 2020
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…
Read moreJul 23 2020
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…
Read moreJul 9 2020
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
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…
Read moreMay 21 2020
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…
Read moreMay 19 2020
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…
Read moreMay 14 2020
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…
Read moreApr 14 2020
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…
Read moreMar 31 2020
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…
Read moreFeb 21 2020
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…
Read moreFeb 10 2020
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…
Read moreJul 21 2019
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…
Read moreJul 3 2019
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…
Read moreJun 16 2019
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…
Read moreMar 26 2019
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…
Read more