13 Feb2026

Mandolin for sale

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David Bell’s small mandolin is for sale, details on my ‘Available now’ page. It’s a timewarp mandolin in remarkable condition.

09 Feb2026

Mike Harding visit

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Some of us will remember Mike Harding for the comedy series he did on BBC, many years ago now. What they may not know that Mike is also a wonderful story-teller and a multi instrumentalist.

He and his wife Pat recently came to visit us in Hexham. From our days in the early folk clubs, I’ve known Mike for nearly sixty years. He’s the same knowledgeable and interesting person he always was, and every bit as sharp as ever.

While he was here, I checked and did a little work on the frets of his Sobell mandolin, now four years old, and also adjusted the truss-rod on his Collins mandolin. Both played better afterwards.

Mike played me a couple of tunes on his Sobell, and I loved both the tunes and Mike’s playing.

I love his jumper.

Mike with Sobell mandolin

05 Feb2026

Transatlantic Sessions Gateshead

Darrell Scott opening the concert

Yesterday Liz and I attended the Transatlantic Sessions concert at the Glasshouse, Gateshead. There was a really big crowd; the main auditorium seats over fifteen hundred people and looked to be sold out.

The stage was crowded as always, the regular musicians joined by Darrell Scott, Kathy Mattea, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and Karine Polwart. I hadn’t realised Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves were now regulars with their lovely old-time banjo and fiddle; I really love their music. They were joined on one tune by Darrell Scott playing guitar.

Darrell opened the concert by pointing out I had made the guitar he was playing, getting a gratifying cheer and round of applause. He sang two songs and, after the interval, his great song ‘You’ll never leave Harlan alive’ with Kathy Mattea, the country singer who recorded it and made it famous. Then bass player Daniel Kimbro borrowed the guitar for a solo song of his own.

Allison de Groot and Tatania Hargreaves, John Doyle and Karine Polwart behind

Darrell singing ‘You’ll never leave Harlan alive’ with Kathy Mattea. Both Darrell and Kathy and several other singers have recorded it.

Daniel Krimbo playing Darrell’s guitar. It’s a long scale D guitar, so Daniel capos at the second fret to get standard scale and pitch.

30 Jan2026

Soundboard logo

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Innovations can be the result of deep thought. Or serendipity. Or a ‘how can I sort this’ moment.

The soundboard logo was the last of these. I had just finished building a 40th Anniversary New World guitar and was giving it a final once over before it went to the spray booth. On the soundboard, just to the right of the fingerboard was a tiny mark that I expected to sand out.

To my horror, the mark increased in size. It had been the tip of the iceberg and was becoming bigger. Nothing to affect the sound but an obvious blemish in the soundboard was a cosmetic nightmare.

At this time I was inlaying a large stylised Birdseye Maple S into the headstock of my then new 40th Anniversary Model guitars, and a half size version into my other guitars’ headstocks.

Looking at these and then at the blemish, it occurred to me that perhaps an ebony half size version would just cover it. Haydn Williams does my CNC inlays, so after a brief phone call I was off to see him with the New World guitar.

Haydn had already prepared the program, so cut a half size ebony logo and we inlaid it into the soundboard. The blemish was gone and the logo looked good.

So good I now fit it to all guitars. It’s shown left on a recent long scale 2D guitar, now in the US with Paul Aegerter.

30 Jan2026

Darrell Scott and Transatlantic Sessions

The time has come around for another Transatlantic Sessions tour. As always, Jerry Douglas, Ali Bain and the other regulars are joined by more musicians, this time including Darrell Scott.

Rather than bring a guitar over from the US, Darrell is borrowing one of mine, a long scale 2D very like the one he has in the US. Both have African Blackwood back and sides, but this one has a Douglas Fir soundboard rather than figured Sitka and a figured old mahogany neck instead of Wengé.

The tour starts in Glasgow, so on a dark rainy day, with Dave Richardson for company, I struggled through rush hour traffic to Darrell’s hotel. This to give Darrell an opportunity to weigh up the instrument he will play on 9 Transatlantic concerts and a solo gig.

Darrell spent a while exploring everything about it so as to be ready for the rehearsal. I had taken a small but excellent Yamaha amplifier with me, so he was also able to hear the Highlander amplified sound.

Darrell is a remarkable guitarist, the guitar sounded wonderful in his hands. Like other great guitarists, rather than simply imposing his will on a guitar, he also finds out what a guitar likes and how it sounds best, and makes decisions accordingly.

His Transatlantic sessions rehearsal was the next day. He reported back to tell me it was perfect and the TA house band all liked it too.

Tour dates here:
https://www.transatlanticsessions.com/transatlantic-sessions-tour-2026/
Darrell’s solo gig:
Saturday 31 January 2026 at 85 Drygate, Glasgow, G4 0UT

Playing Douglas Fir and African Blackwood 2D

23 Jan2026

Another old friend

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Many years ago I was in a queue of vehicles in Calais, waiting to board a ferry back to England. Quite suddenly, a man jumped out of the van in front of us. It was Scottish musician Brian McNeill. Instead of ‘hello, what a coincidence’ Brian breathlessly shouted ‘my cittern has exploded’.

In fact it wasn’t a real explosion, just the screw holding the back-plate down had loosened and was on its way out. Easily sorted.

I’ve known Brian for ever. In 1975 he had recently formed the Battlefield Band and having seen Tom Gilfellon’s cittern, came to see me. I was then (briefly) living in Wark, prior to moving to Whitley Chapel, and had not long been building citterns and bouzoukis.

Brian and band member Jamie McMenemy bought bouzoukis. The band toured these all around the US, showing and talking about their instruments everywhere they went. They spread the word so well that for a while I sold almost as many instruments in the US as in Britain.

A few days ago Brian visited my workshop with another tailpiece problem. The brass string-plate articulates on two little lugs sticking up from the back-plate and one of these had broken. I modified and fitted a new back-plate and all was well again. Lovely to see another old friend and his old instrument.

Brian was always the most dynamic and exciting of bouzouki players and he still is.

Brian unhappy with his 1980s 12 string mando-cello repair

12 Jan2026

Martin Simpson selling his 2019 MS model

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Martin playing the renovated and improved 2019 MS in my workshop.

28 January update
Martin’s email has been unavailable recently, but is now restored.

Martin’s 2019 MS guitar had a finish problem from new, and a few months ago we arranged he should bring it to me for correcting. He also asked me to re-profile the neck, slimming it and giving it a gentle V profile.

In fact we completely re-finished the guitar and I took the opportunity to add my logos to headstock and soundboard, bringing it up to my 40th Anniversary Model appearance.

Dave Wilson’s finishing is simply the best, as here. And Martin pointed out how the soundboard logo contrasts nicely with the bear claw.

While delivering the guitar for me to work on the neck, Martin played a few of my later guitars. He liked one in particular, a 40th Anniversary MS. He played it for hours, and eventually suggested maybe he could borrow it for the album he was recording. From there, I eventually said we could arrange a deal for him to keep it if he loved it enough to play it live. He agreed instantly.

When recently visiting again to collect the 2019 MS, he loved the newly profiled neck, the logos and Dave’s refinish, but having fallen for the Anniversary model, he is selling the MS. It has a nice action, sounds lovely and plays perfectly. If you are interested, you can contact him via his website martinsimpsonmusic.com

The guitar is currently with me in Hexham, but will be with Martin in Sheffield in the next few weeks.

2019 MS model guitar
Bearclaw European spruce soundboard
African Blackwood back and sides
Reprofiled Wenge neck
African Ebony fingerboard and bridge
Jescar Gold frets
Bone bridge pins
New Gotoh 510 tuners, 21:1 ratio
S logo on headstock and soundboard
Full refinish

07 Dec2025

Old friends and old mandolin

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Yesterday I spent an evening with Jim O’Boyle and Dave Richardson. Jim is a talented concertina player and Dave, who plays mandolin, octave mandolin as well as concertina, played for many years in The boys of the Lough, along with Cathal McConnell and Ali Bain.

I’ve been friends with both Jim and Dave for over fifty years; Dave had some of my earliest instruments. Here he is playing the second mandolin I made him in around 1975, a time when we both had hair.

Lovely to see Jim, Dave and mandolin still in such good condition.

Two old men playing music – a third taking the photo

18 Oct2025

Danny Bradley plays ‘Sweetness of Mary’ on 2D guitar

Danny Bradley currently has my 40th Anniversary 2D guitar on long term loan; he plays it beautifully and is a great ambassador for it.

He is a skilled guitarist who uses and controls sustain well, so the 2D with its depth of sound and great sustain suits him particularly well. Today he sent me an audio clip of him playing ‘Sweetness of Mary’ on the 2D.

The 2D is fitted with a Highlander under-saddle pickup, but this clip was recorded using two condenser microphones.

‘The Sweetness of Mary’ arranged and played by Danny Bradley

The model 2D is based on my Model 2, a relatively large bodied guitar with 12 frets to the body. The D version has two extra frets at the nut, making it a long scale 14 fret to the body guitar, with the bridge position unchanged.

It is tuned a full tone down as compared with a standard guitar; fitting a capo to the second fret gives standard guitar tuning, scale and string tension. Taking the capo off opens up a fabulous full sound.

On this clip, Danny has tuned to CGCFGC, capoed at the first fret to play in C#. Capoing at the second fret would give a standard guitar scale and the commonly used DADGAD tuning.

Danny is a lovely singer and guitarist and has written some great songs. He gigs regularly, opened for Richard Thompson on his recent tour, and will be doing several spots at the upcoming Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. If you haven’t already heard him, I recommend you go and hear him if you get the opportunity.

Danny with the 2D in my workshop .

17 Sep2025

Visit to Mark Knopfler and British Grove recording studio

After an accident that left her nearly blind, Helen wanted to thank her fiancé Matthew for his wonderful help and support throughout her ordeal. She knew Matthew had put in a bid on the guitar I built for Mark Knopfler at Mark’s auction, but had failed to buy it.

She asked me to build him a guitar as a surprise, but we quickly realised he had to be consulted as to the model and specification. Still wanting to surprise him, she secretly asked me to see if Mark Knopfler would present it to him. Mark very kindly agreed, so when the guitar was finished we arranged a time to go to British Grove studio for the presentation.

I told Matthew I was going for a tour of the studio and could take a couple of friends, but that Mark himself was unlikely to be there. I dropped the guitar off the evening before for Mark to give to Matthew; everybody at the studio was in on the secret.

Mark showing Matthew an alternative chord fingering.

Although the tour was a pretext for getting Matthew there, it turned out to be fascinating. The equipment included consoles from the sixties and seventies (still regularly used) and was immensely impressive. And despite the massive amounts of equipment and vast recording space, the studio had a friendly and comforting atmosphere. Andy Cook, the recording engineer, was great, interesting and informative, and took time to take us round and explain everything.

Finally we were led to a calm, spacious hospitality room, where we were offered coffee and cakes. After a few minutes Mark Knopfler entered with Matthew’s guitar; Matthew was taken completely by surprise.

Mark has just come into the room with Matthew’s guitar. Here he is handing it over. Matthew is stunned.

Helen, Mark and Matthew chatting after the handover

1960s desk, still used regularly, gets a unique drum sound

After presenting the guitar, Mark stayed chatting for over an hour, talking to Helen about help for those with problems like hers, and also giving Matthew hands on tips on guitar chords. He was truly generous with his time.