I was spectacularly unprepared for this moment - just before my interview with author Adam Foster about his new book Nick Drake: The Recordings I was granted a moment with Nick's guitar - a Martin 00028 that he played on…
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Aug 28, 2026
MARTIN CARTHY LET US BORROW HIS GUITARS!
Aug 24, 2026
TURNSTONE GUITARS - WITH MARTIN SIMPSON - THE BEST OF THE UK & IRELAND EP.3
What a joy to speak with legendary folk musician Martin Simpson about a new colour to his guitar paint box - a Turnstone TM model - bespoke made for Martin in Mexican Royal Ebony (Katalox) and Adirondack Spruce at the …
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Aug 15, 2026
HOW IMPORTANT IS VERSATILITY REALLY?
So Here's the thing - do we really need one guitar that will do it all or is there joy to be found in an instrument that excels in a specific role? What about if it's got all flames up…
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Aug 7, 2026
HE TRAINED AS A MEDIEVAL FOOL - PLAYS COOL GUITARS AND HIS NEW RECORD IS GORGEOUS - IT'S DANIEL MARCUS CLARK!
Daniel Marcus Clark is a true gentleman troubadour. You may have seen him supporting Canadian jazz legend Diana Krall around the UK recently.
Daniel's new album 181 is a gorgeous collection of musical vignettes that involved writing a song every…
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Jul 24, 2026
MY NEW GUITAR
This is my new to me Gibson Custom Shop Limited Edition J45 12-Fret - Gibson made 44 of these back in 2017 - I don't know what happened to the other 43 but this one is mine!
Here are some…
Read moreJul 21, 2026
LET'S GO TO A JAPANESE GUITAR SHOW!
Join me in Osaka Japan to check out some of the finest acoustic guitars in the world! We have exquisite luthier-made instruments as well as vintage beauties - I had a superb time and it is a pleasure to share…
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Jul 10, 2026
SOBELL GUITARS - WITH MARTIN SIMPSON - BEST OF THE UK & IRELAND Ep. 2
Folk legend Martin Simpson returns for a look at the work of a luthier who has given him a voice for most of his career - the mighty Stefan Sobell of Northumbria UK.
In this video we take a look…
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Jul 3, 2026
THE TAYLOR BEN HARPER 512E - LET'S TAKE A LOOK!
As a big fan of Ben Harper I was very intrigued to hear about his new signature model from Taylor Guitars - The Ben Harper Gold Label 512e - especially considering that it was part of the new Gold Label…
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Jun 24, 2026
RORY DOWLING AND THE TARAN MEILEIN PARLOUR MODEL
When Rory Dowling of Taran Guitars (Scotland) got in touch to tell me about his gorgeous new parlour guitar The Meilein I paid attention - I mean, just look at that!
I've long loved Rory's immaculate work and I do…
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Jun 19, 2026
BASHKIN JM - FILMED IN OSAKA JAPAN - THE IDEAL FINGERSTYLE GUITAR?
What a pleasure to film this exquisite Michael Baskin JM model acoustic guitar in Osaka Japan.
Not for the first time a handmade guitar from an S-tier luthier has proved to be the perfect antidote to jet lag!
This Bashkin…
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Nov 13, 2025
GUITARIST? YOU NEED THIS BOOK!
Author and accidental guitar collector John Stubbings is back with a companion piece to his exquisite book The Devil Is In It - The Guitar Detective!
The Guitar Detective is a non-fiction novel in the tradition of Truman Capote's…
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Sep 19, 2025
LIFE ON THE FRETBOARD - MARTIN SIMPSON
Life On The Fretboard is back and my guest is folk music icon Martin Simpson
As a singer/songwriter he is a masterful storyteller - as a guitarist he has proved that the acoustic guitar can be an emotive and lyrical…
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Sep 19, 2025
OH TAYLOR - AN ACOUSTIC AMP NOW?
Do we need acoustic amps? Like, an actual acoustic combo - are we still doing that? According to Taylor Guitars and their new spin-off Circa 74 - yes, yes we do.
Available in mahogany or koa this aesthetically cuddly amp…
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Sep 19, 2025
MY FIRST FINNISH GUITAR EXPERIENCE - TORNBERG GUITARS - OULU
I've always made an effort to bring my audience cool and unusual guitars but I have to admit that until recently I had overlooked Finland as an epicentre of acoustic goodness - all that changed recently with a visit to…
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Aug 29, 2025
THE ANDY MCKEE INTERVIEW!
I've been looking forward to a proper chat with the one and only Mr Andy McKee for some time now and it was a joy to welcome him to my studio during his recent tour of Europe.
It was an…
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Aug 29, 2025
WITH VIRGILE PILON OF BLIND GUITARS IN BIARRITZ
Ever since my first encounter with a Blind Guitars instrument I have been fascinated by the Nouvelle Vintage aesthetic that luthier Virgile Pilon brings to his instruments.
It was a pleasure to visit the Blind Guitars workshop in the picturesque…
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Jun 5, 2025
ONE OF THE BEST GUITARS I HAVE EVER PLAYED - GREENFIELD G2.2 PRESENTATION GRADE KOA
It's always a joy to play a Greenfield guitar and when I received the invitation to visit Michael Greenfield's Montreal workshop and check out this presentation grade Koa masterpiece I just had to accept!
The Greenfield G2 model is a…
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Jun 1, 2025
WHAT I REALLY LOOK FOR IN AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR
What happens when I encounter a REALLY great guitar?
Last week I got a beautiful reminder of the effect of a truly superb instrument when I was invited to showcase a presentation grade G2 model by Michael Greenfield at his…
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May 23, 2025
ONE PICKUP GUITARS - WHY WOULD YOU?
Why would anyone choose a one pickup guitar when the world is full of instruments with two, three or even more pickups? Well, a few minutes with a Fender Custom Shop Esquire reveals a lot!
Thank you to my friends…
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May 9, 2025
I BORROWED A RICKENBACKER 12 STRING - NOW WHAT?
The Rickenbacker 330/12 is responsible for some of the most iconic and jangly sounds ever committed to posterity.
I borrowed this one from a friend with a small degree of trepidation - would I even be able to get anything…
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Mar 28, 2025
HERE'S A COLLECTION OF 3 GREENFIELD GUITARS!
Mar 17, 2025
NOVO x FANO GUITARS - WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Alright! Here are two examples of modern boutique offset electrics that represent some of the most exciting designs out there - the Fano JM6 and the Novo Serus J.
I was intrigued to discover the differences between these two models…
Mar 16, 2025
PRS PAUL'S GUITAR - MY FIRST ENCOUNTER!
This is a new one on me - I really haven't had much time with PRS guitars over the years and I'm still not entirely sure why.
Nevertheless when I visited my friends at The Guitar Showroom this week https://theguitarshowroom.co.uk…
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