In our experience, Michi Matsuda is one of the finest artists working in lutherie today, and it is always a sincere pleasure to have his instruments in the shop. Today we’ve got one of his M1 models from 2005 decked out in African Blackwood and Adirondack Spruce, and man-oh-man can it sing.
Something about the African Blackwood seems to help open up the middle registers and buff the bass notes until they shine, and with a fabulously tight-grained Adirondack Spruce top, the voice is rich and enveloping, expertly balanced. One of the ultimate fingerstyle guitars, this Matsuda M1 exudes an easy complexity with each note that mirrors the sensation of floating in the ocean, weightless, making it easy to lose track of time and of yourself while playing. The subtly-sunburst Mahogany neck features a wide nut at 1 15/16″ which provides wonderful string spacing for complex chords and allows you to better appreciate the precision with which each string rings.
Are you a fingerstylist? Please: do yourself a favor and take this Matsuda for a spin.
Michi's got the chops, that's for sure. African Blackwood is one of my favorite tonewoods, and this guitar helps prove it with its profoundly clear voice and creamy projection. From the Wenge rosette to the sunburst neck and asymetrical heelblock, this is an elegant, resonant instrument. 
This is one of the most traditional guitars that Matsuda makes and the tone is bright and clear with plenty of support from the mid and bass frequencies to make this a perfect fingerstyle instrument. It's also incredibly beautiful. | Scale Length | 25.4 in |
|---|---|
| Nut Width | 1.94 in |
| String Spacing | 2.25 in |
| Woods | Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Blackwood - African |
In our experience, Michi Matsuda is one of the finest artists working in lutherie today, and it is always a sincere pleasure to have his instruments in the shop. Today we've got one of his M1 models from 2005 decked out in African Blackwood and Adirondack Spruce, and man-oh-man can it sing.Something about the African Blackwood seems to help open up the middle registers and buff the bass notes until they shine, and with a fabulously tight-grained Adirondack Spruce top, the voice is rich and enveloping, expertly balanced
Michi's got the chops, that's for sure. African Blackwood is one of my favorite tonewoods, and this guitar helps prove it with its profoundly clear voice and creamy projection
This is one of the most traditional guitars that Matsuda makes and the tone is bright and clear with plenty of support from the mid and bass frequencies to make this a perfect fingerstyle instrument. It's also incredibly beautiful. 