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Michael Watts

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • MUSIC
  • IN CONCERT
  • ONLINE LESSONS
  • TABLATURE
  • LIFE ON THE FRETBOARD PODCAST
  • LUTHIER STORIES
  • VIDEO INTERVIEWS
  • WRITTEN INTERVIEWS
  • THE BLUE GUITARS
  • GEAR REVIEWS
  • GETTING TO KNOW YOU
  • CASIMI GUITARS
  • KOSTAL GUITARS
  • MAILING LIST

Viewing: Handmade British Guitars - View all posts

May 5 2022

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and LOVE This Wood!

Do you have a love/hate relationship with certain tone woods? I have to admit that I do, and in particular the more vitreous members of the rosewood family can be hard work for me. 

If there is one wood that…

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Jan 22 2022

USA vs UK Acoustic Guitars - What do They Sound Like?

I am regularly asked for my thoughts on the differences between acoustic guitars from the USA and the UK and rather than get bogged down in minutiae I find that a direct comparison is often the most useful way to…

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Oct 10 2021

Wonderful Small-Body Guitars - with "The Devil Is In It" author John Stubbings

It's always a joy to spend time with my friend John Stubbings - John is the author of one of the most beautiful books on the acoustic guitar that I have ever read The Devil Is In it - if…

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Feb 26 2021

Ordering Your First Custom Guitar - 5 Questions To Ask

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…

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Feb 17 2021

How different can two guitars from the same luthier be?

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…

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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…

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Dec 3 2020

The Probett SG-TEOR Electric Guitar

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…

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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…

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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…

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Nov 11 2020

Turnstone TGE Review - Guitar.com

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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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 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…

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Apr 1 2020

Luthier Stories Series 1 Blooper Reel!

The first series of Luthier Stories took me all over the world from Texas and California to South Africa, Scotland and Surrey! It's been a blast, as well as a thinly veiled excuse to hang out with some very dear…

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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…

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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…

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© Michael Watts 2023

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