Martin Woodhouse - Luthier

I’ve been working on the second prototype of my new classical guitar model for the last couple of weeks. I’ve made a lot of changes from the first prototype design, aiming to improve various aspects of the instrument, mainly focusing on ergonomics and playability. I’m going for a very lightweight construction in this version, taking some ideas from Torres guitars and some from baroque guitar construction, and adapting them for a modern instrument. The aim is to make a modern classical guitar which is as comfortable and enjoyable to play as possible… we’ll find out if it works in another couple of weeks.

I’ve been thinking about the question of high-fret playability quite a lot for the last year or so. Ultimately, that led to me developing a whole new guitar model to solve the problem effectively. I think that is the best solution to the problem, but I’m aware that the new model doesn’t appeal to everyone, and many people would prefer to have a more traditional looking guitar with improved high-fret access. There is a fashion at the moment for elevated fingerboards, but that isn’t an option which I offer, because I feel that it gives, at best, a marginal improvement in high-fret access. In the past I’ve offered a simple cut-away option, but this week I’ve been experimenting with a scalloped cutaway (using my cheap plywood test guitar) and I’m liking the results… so a neater and nicer version of this will be an option on my guitars in future.

I’ve been stocking up on FSC certified wood, and wood from other sustainable sources, since the beginning of the year, and I’m on track to be able to offer guitars made from 100% sustainably sourced wood by the end of 2017. See my sustainability and wood page for more details.

In between working on this website and having a cold, I’m also making this pair of modern/traditional model classical guitars for two guitarists in Taiwan. They’re coming together nicely, and I should be able to start French-polishing them next week.

A year after deleting my old website, and I’m finally getting round to making this new one… bear with me while I figure out how to do that. With a bit of luck, I’ll be able to fill in all the blanks over the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, you can still see some of my recent instruments on my Facebook page (you don’t need to be a Facebook member to see it):

https://www.facebook.com/martinwoodhouseluthier/

You can also see many videos of various people playing my guitars on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXe7JX51-L4xNvz5Zr6JvPg