Archtop and flat top guitars - what are the sonic differences? I get this question a lot and what better way to answer it than with two instruments by one of the world’s finest luthiers - Kim Walker.
There is…
Read moreNov 22 2023
Archtop and flat top guitars - what are the sonic differences? I get this question a lot and what better way to answer it than with two instruments by one of the world’s finest luthiers - Kim Walker.
There is…
Read moreNov 10 2023
Early 20th century Gibson acoustics with dead strings? I know many players have found timbral nirvana with the combination of a guitar that is around 100 years old and uncoated strings that were last changed during the Reagan administration. This…
Read moreNov 10 2023
It’s a little bit Nick Drake, a little bit John Martyn but mostly Michael Watts - this is a run through of a new original piece - it may not be the definitive version but I like it and I…
Read moreNov 9 2023
I first saw a picture of the new Fender Highway Series Dreadnought a few months prior to its recent release and I have to admit that the aesthetics left me feeling cold and alone.
It is not a pretty thing…
Read moreNov 8 2023
I’ve had several requests to upload the theme music to Life On The Fretboard - my podcast for Fretboard Journal. I wrote this music one afternoon as I was editing on of the first interviews and I liked it…
Read moreOct 27 2023
Look at that, two very alluring Heritage guitars that I had in for review recently!
Both feature P-90 pickups, the Pelham Blue number is from the custom range
while the VERY SHINY black beauty is a standard.
You can hear…
Read moreOct 18 2023
I was extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Al Petteway. I am grateful to have had the chance to hang out with him and he will be sorely missed. My thoughts are with those he loved and who…
Read moreSep 18 2023
It’s an old discussion - what are the sonic differences between two of the most popular acoustic guitar styles - the venerable Dreadnought and the silky Orchestra Model. Don’t they look good?
Now, I recently had two guitars here to…
Read moreSep 5 2023
The 1958 Gibson Flying V is arguably the rarest of the classic vintage instrument pantheon - only 81 of these iconic beasts were made.
I was delighted to be invited by the good people at Gardiner Houlgate to check the…
Read moreAug 25 2023
Uberfrank guitars have been much on my mind since Fretboard Journal editor Jason Verlinde pulled my coat sleeve about these delicious looking offset electrics some months ago.
As I was in the area on another assignment I reached out to…
Read moreJul 21 2023
Here is the one I know a lot of people have been waiting for: a mini Luthier Stories episode featuring Howard Feng and his Modified Dreadnought.
This guitar has caused quite a stir already - the photography alone made it…
Read moreJul 21 2023
Many years ago I was asked to appear on a radio show to comment about rare woods in hand made guitars. It didn’t go very well to be honest - the host was under the impression that I was a…
Read moreJul 7 2023
It was a pleasure to join faculty and students at Newark College for their 50th anniversary celebrations last week. I was invited to give a workshop with students of the Guitar Making School who impressed me with their ingenuity and…
Read moreJul 7 2023
Many thanks to Tony Polecastro for featuring my photography of Howard Feng’s Modified Dreadnought on his Acoustic Tuesday show!
I am very grateful for the support over the years - do subscribe to Tony’s channel if you are unfamiliar with…
Read moreJul 7 2023
I don’t know how many Nocturnes have been written for solo ukulele - I’ve certainly only managed one so far and it was the final track on my debut album Vetiver.
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play this…
Read moreJun 28 2023
Back to Hawaii now, and one of the most intriguing and inspiring guitars I have played recently.
This is Steve Grimes’ elegant Freehand model with its asymmetrical body, double cutaways and elliptical sound hole. What a thing!
Then there’s the…
Read moreJun 28 2023
The first video of Howard Feng’s blistering opening salvo under his own name certainly made an impression.
Having trashed his hotel room so thoroughly in order to build our film set it seemed churlish to stop at just on video…
Read moreJun 23 2023
Peter Green’s guitar playing with John Mayall’s Blues Breakers and early Fleetwood Mac had a massive effect on me.
As such it was a real pleasure to visit Bonhams London to look at three instruments from a large collection that…
Read moreJun 22 2023
I have loved Emma Tricca’s work for years and it was a real pleasure to welcome her to my studio.
You may have seen her on tour with Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, Robyn Hitchcock and Dinosaur Jr. The song…
Read moreJun 22 2023
The Steve Grimes Beamer model is a fascinating instrument - a double sound hole flat top that has some arch top characteristics and something else going on in there - it’s no exaggeration to say that I haven’t heard anything…
Read moreJun 10 2023
It is not uncommon for collectors of fine guitars to try their hand at creating an instrument at some point. When I first met Howard Feng, some ten years ago, he was just beginning to assemble what was to become…
Read moreJun 10 2023
Another video from my life-affirming trip to Hawaii this year. I have lied Steve Grimes’ Jazz Laureate design since I played Steve’s contribution to The Blue Guitar Collection.
This is a very modern and forward thinking archchtop - a…
Read moreJun 2 2023
During my recent visit to Maui I managed to get some time with grammy-award winning musician Garrett Probst for an introduction to the wonderful world of Hawaiian slack key guitar.
Fully equipped with a pair of Grimes Beamer model guitars…
Read moreJun 1 2023
I’ve really enjoyed exploring high-strung guitar as a texture in the studio. So much so that I’ve managed to sneak it into some unlikely places!
The time had come for me to get this guitar back into standard tuning but…
Read moreMay 25 2023
Following on from the Grimes Beamer model I showed you last time, here is another beautiful guitar design - the Grimes Freehand Parlor. This one is made from Brazilian Kingwood and Cedar.
This asymmetrical body with a 14-fret neck makes…
Read more