Some time ago I borrowed a superb Casimi guitar from a friend. While it was with me I filmed several videos and during one of them an improvised idea popped out.
I had forgotten all about this little idea until…
Read moreMar 22 2024
Some time ago I borrowed a superb Casimi guitar from a friend. While it was with me I filmed several videos and during one of them an improvised idea popped out.
I had forgotten all about this little idea until…
Read moreFeb 16 2024
Welcome to The Dusk Session - as I got more familiar with this new instrument I decided to leave the cameras rolling while I played through single take performances of three original pieces.
The light was fading and the wind…
Read moreFeb 15 2024
It was a joy to catch up with my friend Derek Gripper while I was in Cape Town. Derek is a sensational guitarist who plays the Cora music of Mali on a vintage Hauser classical guitar.
I visited Derek at…
Read moreFeb 8 2024
Join me and Matthias Roux and Matthew Rice of Casimi Guitars for an in-depth chat about the creation of my new instrument at the Casimi Guitars workshop in Cape Town South Africa.
We talk about the first time we met…
Read moreFeb 7 2024
The first full piece on my new Casimi guitar was Birdseye - I don’t know why, it just felt right. My hands were shaking and there are moments where I have to pause for a second to try and understand…
Read moreJan 19 2024
Cape Town South Africa January 2024.
The first notes on a new instrument that has been 3 years in the making but represents a decade of friendship with Matthew Rice and Matthias Roux of Casimi Guitars.
The guitar is still…
Read moreDec 15 2023
I have been in full rehearsal mode following the news that my new instrument by Casimi Guitars of South Africa is now ready!
In this video you can get a behind the scenes look at some fascinating parts of the…
Read moreFeb 3 2023
My Casimi Guitar is taking shape! Thank you to everyone who has been in touch to ask for more details of my incoming instrument - This African Blackwood and Swiss Moon Spruce masterpiece has been much on my mind and…
Read moreJan 3 2023
I was delighted to sit down with super luthier and podcast empresario Michael Bashkin during my recent visit to Colorado - the results of that conversation are now available for all to enjoy in the latest edition of the Fretboard…
Read moreAug 11 2022
In amongst The Blue Guitars I found a trio of exceptional brown guitars and in a relatively quiet moment in amongst the azure mayhem I managed to film them.
Just look at them!
Here is the first, a sumptuous Casimi…
Read moreMar 17 2022
Jan 14 2022
Since I played my first notes on a Casimi acoustic guitar back in 2014 I have been inspired, awestruck and not a little obsessed with the sound that Mattias Roux and Matthew Rice of Casimi Guitars manage to pull out…
Read moreNov 12 2021
I have been very fortunate, over the past couple of decades I have been left unsupervised with some truly stellar instruments made with love by many of the world's most talented luthiers.
This sort of thing being a case in…
Read moreApr 2 2021
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…
Read moreJan 17 2021
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…
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 moreAug 20 2020
Recent chats with luminaries in the world of fan fret guitars such as luthier Michael Greenfield and Paul Heumiller of Dream Guitars got me thinking about fan fret instruments again. So much so that I arranged to spend some quality…
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