Michi Matsuda makes another dream come true with this 2019 M1. Cocobolo back and sides with rich ruddy reds, paired with Italian Spruce on top in a tasteful sunburst—then a splash of pearl inlaid at treble upper bout, add a voluptuously carved heel, and cap it all off with Larry Robinson maple leaf inlays along the fretboard. This M1 is dressed to the nines, and on the tone front it goes all the way to 11. The body is roughly an OM in proportion (15 5/8” across the lower bout), here with a 25 1/4” scale and 1 3/4” nut on a darkly toned Mahogany neck. Setup is effortless, and with a build weight of five pounds this Matsuda M1 feels solid and very real in hand.
A work of art from 2019 that is already fantastically wide awake: Matsuda M1 #119.
Other keywords: lutherie, ervin somogyi, somogyi, fingerstyle, flattop, brazilain, gotoh, scalloped nut, om, cedar creek
With a gorgeous set of Cocobolo Rosewood paired here with Italian Spruce, you get clarity and pure musical tone. The lines, the hand carvings, and the detailed attention of Michiro Matsuda are unlike anything you've ever experienced. 
Michi’s one of my all-time favorite builders, not only for his more extravagant designs, but also for his more ‘regular’ flattops like this M1. Clarity, depth, and an expansive dynamic range characterize the voice here, with added presence and heft to individual notes that makes it feel, for lack of a better term, three dimensional. | Scale Length | 25.25 in |
|---|---|
| Nut Width | 1.75 in |
| String Spacing | 2.25 in |
| Woods | Spruce - Italian, Rosewood - Cocobolo |
Michi Matsuda makes another dream come true with this 2019 M1. Cocobolo back and sides with rich ruddy reds, paired with Italian Spruce on top in a tasteful sunburst—then a splash of pearl inlaid at treble upper bout, add a voluptuously carved heel, and cap it all off with Larry Robinson maple leaf inlays along the fretboard
With a gorgeous set of Cocobolo Rosewood paired here with Italian Spruce, you get clarity and pure musical tone. The lines, the hand carvings, and the detailed attention of Michiro Matsuda are unlike anything you've ever experienced.
Michi’s one of my all-time favorite builders, not only for his more extravagant designs, but also for his more ‘regular’ flattops like this M1. Clarity, depth, and an expansive dynamic range characterize the voice here, with added presence and heft to individual notes that makes it feel, for lack of a better term, three dimensional. 