I'd like to share this new piece with you - It's called Birdseye and while it's still a work in progress to some extent, I managed to pull off a take during some long-overdue time spent with loved ones in…
Read moreJul 14 2021
Jul 14 2021
I'd like to share this new piece with you - It's called Birdseye and while it's still a work in progress to some extent, I managed to pull off a take during some long-overdue time spent with loved ones in…
Read moreJul 14 2021
Maple is a wood that divides opinion amongst acoustic guitarists with almost surgical precision. "It's too bright, There's no bass, it's too trebly, it's sterile" etc are accusations often levelled at this superb wood.
Cheerfully I say unto you "Bollocks".
…
Read moreMay 15 2021
I have made no secret of my admiration for the work of luthier Michihiro Matsuda (Oakland CA). Since first meeting him in 2009 I have been regularly left dumbfounded by the extraordinary elegance and startling lines of his instruments. As…
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 moreFeb 26 2021
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…
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 moreJan 13 2021
I have been a heartfelt endorser of Elixir Strings for years and when they invited me to take part in a long-distance collaboration, featuring artists from all over the world, I was delighted to accept!
Octet is a composition by…
Read moreDec 31 2020
Thinking back over the past year I am tremendously grateful for the vocal support and appreciation of my growing audience. 2020 did not go to plan for any of us but knowing you were out there helped me to keep…
Read moreDec 12 2020
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…
Read moreDec 3 2020
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…
Read moreNov 21 2020
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…
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 moreNov 11 2020
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…
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…
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 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 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
Montreal is one of my favourite cities in the world, not least because it is home to one of my favourite people in the world, the legend of modern acoustic guitar luthiery that is Michael Greenfield.
My friendship with…
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 28 2020
Chatting with Colorado super luthier Michael Bashkin is one of life's great pleasures and I was looking forward to spending quality time with the man himself in Berlin next week. As you'll be heartbreakingly aware by now, that won't be…
Read moreApr 22 2020
I know that many of us have been experiencing stress, anxiety and sleep disruption. If that's you then I'd like to play for you.
I have started a series of Late Night Live Stream sessions on my YouTube channel, this…
Read moreApr 15 2020
Back when that sort of thing was actively encouraged I was invited to Sound Network HQ London to film a comparison video of the DPA microphone range. DPA is a super-high end microphone company that sprung from the ashes…
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…
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