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Michael Watts

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

Viewing: Luthier Stories - View all posts

May 12 2023

NEWS FROM MAUI

Yes, I admit it, I buggered off to a tropical paradise with scarcely a look back. 

Honestly, it doesn’t take much - an email from one of the world’s greatest luthiers with the subject Come To Maui will do the…

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Mar 10 2023

MICHAEL BASHKIN - MODERN DESIGNS x TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES - LUTHIER STORIES

What better way to finish off Season 2 of Luthier stories than a chat with a guitar maker whose work mixes beautiful modern lines and response with traditional construction techniques. Michael Bashkin is more than that though - as the…

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Feb 25 2023

KEN PARKER - THE PARKER FLY PROTOTYPE

Ken Parker is a true visionary in the world of the modern electric and arch top guitars. His revolutionary “Parker Fly” design was a paradigm shift when it first appeared but as you will see - it didn’t quite turn…

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Feb 24 2023

LUTHIER STORIES - LIVE Q+A

While this week’s video may be short form that doesn’t mean I have any intention of leaving you hanging. At 7pm tonight (UK time) I will be holding a live stream Q+A session about luthier Stories for 45 minutes before…

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Feb 18 2023

LINDA MANZER - VISIONARY GUITAR MAKER

I have absolutely loved Linda Manzer’s guitars for many years but it was only recently that I had the opportunity to visit her workshop in Almonte Ontario. 

Linda’s influence runs deep throughout the guitar luthier community with many of her…

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Feb 3 2023

RELEASING THE GUITAR'S VOICE - JOHN MONTELEONE

I have been a huge fan of John Monteleone’s work for many years and it was a pleasure to spend time with him last year while travelling with The Archtop Foundation. 

John is a legendary figure in the world of…

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Jan 28 2023

ARCHTOP GUITARS FOR FLATTOP PLAYERS - CRIS MIRABELLA

Cris Mirabella makes disturbingly beautiful guitars. In fact I found his work so intimidating that it was several years after we first met that I plucked up the courage to ask Cris if I could try one of his instruments…

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Jan 21 2023

THE MOST VALUABLE WOODS ON EARTH - MICHAEL GREENFIELD

Michael Greenfield is an extraordinary human being who creates extraordinary guitars. A dear friend since our first meeting at the Montreal Guitar Show in 2009 Michael has been a guide and confidante in the fascinating and often bewildering world of…

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Jan 17 2023

LUTHIER STORIES SEASON 2

It has been a long time coming.

Luthier Stories Season 2 begins on Saturday 21st January 2023 - I'll be on YouTube for the live premier and I hope you'll join me - this is going to be fun!

Thank…

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Sep 23 2021

A Guitar Made With Human Teeth - Ervin Somogyi

While trawling my archive of hours of raw footage from the first season of Luthier Stories I came across this clip where legendary guitar builder Ervin Somogyi talks about the creation of an unusual instrument made with decayed woods and…

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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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Jul 29 2019

Jason Kostal - The Importance of String Choice

Luthier Jason Kostal is rightly recognised for his attention to detail at all stages in the guitar making process and during my recent visit to his workshop in Phoenix Arizona we had a chat about the importance of string choice…

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Jul 21 2019

Designing a Guitar with Martin Simpson - Rory Dowling (Taran Guitars)

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…

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Jul 3 2019

1000 Miles of Texas Desert with Jason Kostal - Luthier Stories

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…

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Jun 3 2019

Trying a new Turnstone Guitar

As far as I'm concerned there are few things in life as pleasurable as playing a new guitar for the luthier who made it. In this case the instrument in question was a beautiful small body TS model in Bog…

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Jan 1 2019

Ervin Somogyi - Luthier Stories

Like all good things, my Luthier Stories series has grown completely organically over the past few months. It's been a real pleasure and a privilege to spend time with some of the finest guitar makers in the world. I knew…

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Dec 31 2018

Mark Gaiero's Beautiful OM - Luthier Stories

This may be the first time you've heard the name Mark Gaiero but I can promise you it won't be the last! 
I met Mark during the final days of his apprenticeship at the Somogyi Guitars workshop in Oakland California…

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Dec 25 2018

Catching up with Leo Buendia - Luthier Stories

I've just returned from a wonderful trip to Oakland California, where I had the chance to catch up with my friend Leo Buendia who, like Michi Matsuda, Mario Beauregard, and Jason Kostal before him apprenticed with Ervin Somogyi. 

Since…

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Nov 15 2018

Iconic Instruments - The Casimi Guitars Prototype

This wonderful instrument is the first Casimi Guitar, it even predates the company's logo so there's nothing on the headstock and no label! It is what was to become the Casimi C2 model and is made from Cocobolo on the…

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Nov 7 2018

Luthier Stories - Linda Manzer - The Iceberg Guitar inspired by Lawren S. Harris

I've loved Linda Manzer's work since first meeting her in 2009 and had harboured a secret hope that at some point I'd get a chance to play her astonishing Iceberg harp guitar having seen it exhibited as part of the…

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Nov 4 2018

Luthier Stories - The Evolution of Casimi Guitars - Video

Last month I spent a truly magical few days in Cape Town South Africa with Matthias Roux and Matthew Rice of Casimi Guitars. We had a lot to cram into that short stay and I came back to the UK…

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Oct 23 2018

Workshop Sessions - Turnstone Guitars TS

I took a quick break during a marathon editing session following my trip to South Africa to visit Rosie Heydenrych at Turnstone guitars and film this wonderful TS model in Cocobolo and Alpine Spruce. the last time I saw Rosie…

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Sep 23 2018

Luthier Workshop Visit - Turnstone Guitars (UK)

Rosie Heydenrych of Turnstone Guitars makes beautiful bespoke instruments one at a time from her workshop in Surrey UK. I first met Rosie years ago when she was still under apprenticeship and it's been very interesting to see her work…

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