What a stunning instrument. I'm a sucker for a volute and blackwood. You got both! Congratulations on a fabulous guitar!

Ouch. Due to pick up today, and an unfortunate accident at the very last minute in final photography....

https://i.imgur.com/bGUhEZD.jpg

Ouch indeed. That's a heartbreaking photo for everyone involved I'm sure.

I saw that on Oliver's Instagram: I am so, so very sorry for you both.

He sounded totally gutted, understandably.

All that work...

Cheers,
Steve

More gutting for Oliver than for me actually, when you think of the levels of perfectionism he reaches, the amount of hours that one false move has cost him... The guitar was heartbreakingly beautiful when I went round to see him today. The rosette, the shape of the body, the details on the headstock, everything about it was just so stunning.
From my point of view, the delay is slightly frustrating, but I've decided that I'm a spruce guy anyway, so we're going to go for a retop. I picked up some superlative 20 year old Euro spruce tops today from a classical builder, and Oliver chose a couple of the best ones to consider for the retop. Luckily the back and sides are intact, but the binding will have to be redone, so the body has to be refinished. So much work... I played the OM he also has nearly finished setting up, and it sounded very good: lots of sweet musicality and a strong, refined tone. So you'll have to wait Steve!

What a shame! Knowing Oliver a little bit, I am sure he was devastated.

I am the owner of Marchwood no 11, bought in 2020 - OMc in European spruce and mahogany, walnut binding with green single line perfling, Gotoh 510s tuners. It's a lovely thing, very easy playing and I like it. I would endorse anyone thinking of a build to give Oliver a try.

That’s heartbreaking, what a shame.:sick::sick:

Wow!! Beautiful!! Rosette really unique and draws your eyes to it. And of course the Australian Blackwood is gorgeous!

That looks absolutely staggering; congratulations to builder and proud owner!

So glad this all came right in the end: Did Oliver photograph it this time around ;)

Can't wait to try it.

Cheers,
Steve

As you can see, the guitar is visually a work of art, certainly the most aesthetically attractive instrument it has been my privilege to own. In terms of fit and finish, it's as close to perfection as any guitar you are likely to come across: when you consider this is only Oliver's 15th build, it's a remarkable achievement. Every last little detail is well thought out and brilliantly executed.

I tend to not worry about a perfect build, it's more the tone I'm interested in, but I am very impressed by the standard of work. The laminated sides of course add to the weight of the instrument, but it sits comfortably in the lap. Despite the sadness in the loss of the sinker cedar top, I think I probably prefer spruce, and the top on this guitar is really special. The builders I trust tell me that the overall system of a guitar needs to be balanced and work to reducing tension so the top can vibrate freely, so the process is more important than the materials, but obviously I want the finest top available in terms of tone. I suspect the 20 years of aging have helped. This top came from a log selected at Kolbl sawmill in Austria in 2002, originating from the Innsbruck area of the Alps. I have played 3 different guitars with tops from this log, and all share a similar character of sweet musicality, with a specific cathedral-like harmonic quality. It makes me weak at the knees!

I have stated on numerous occasions how insanely picky and particular I am about tone. If a guitar is a little shrill, or weak in the trebles, or bothersome in even a small way, I simply won't want to play it. It's a madness, but I've accepted it's my nature. In terms of the tone of this guitar, quite simply it's exceptional, certainly in the top handful of guitars I have owned and played, which are legion! I like a very sweet, responsive and powerful instrument, and I really love harmonic overtones and reverb, especially in the high end. Considering this is a brand new, spruce topped guitar, the tone I seek is already there.

Oliver has indicated that there is room for him to tweak the tone with a little more voicing, which will help make it even more responsive, but we're not sure that's needed yet, so we'll see how much it opens up in the next few months. For now, there is a noticeable richness and depth to the tone, which is very pleasing for such a small instrument (14.25 inches wide in the lower bout and 4.25 max depth). It's well-balanced across the fretboard, with no weak areas. All in all, it's a superb fingerstyle instrument with a majestic voice, and I would say it's comparable to the very best that is available. The key ingredient for me is whether I keep wanting to pick it up, and if it thrills me every time I play it, and this guitar delivers.

I reckon Oliver is one of the most talented young builders out there. When you consider the level of perfection in the execution and the noble quality of the tone, I snagged an absolute bargain. Even though his base price has recently increased, I think he still represents exceptional value for money.
I'll sort out a video in a few weeks once the guitar has opened up a little more. I've gone crazy with commissions over the last few months and have 2 other 00s pending, so I'm planning a little 00 comparison project in the near future. Watch this space!

So I found some time to get to Dennis yesterday. He has accumulated a ton of very interesting stuff recently and I was keen to get my hands on all of it, with the Marchwood was at the top of the list by a long way: A comment by Tom Sands turned me onto Oliver and it’s obvious from looking at his work on his website and Instagram that he has all of the woodworking and design skills necessary to build a guitar of the highest order.

Well I can confirm that in person the guitar is every bit as impressive as you might imagine from Instagram-world. Very, very well made. The Australian blackwood is exquisite – very beautiful. Crisp work and obviously top-class fit-and-finish. Clearly “handmade” not “homemade” (something you can’t always say about new “next gen” luthiers, to coin Dennis’ terminology). Setup was also great – a very lovely Fenland-oak fretboard with immaculate fretwork, and low action. And when I say low, I mean LOW. Dennis had asked for this and Oliver delivered a great playing experience with the strings hovering over the frets. Very comfortable neck profile as well; I felt immediately at home. I had ZERO idea it was 48mm until Dennis told me. Felt really comfortable.

Did it sound good? Yes, indeedy! I’m probably not as picky as Dennis (no one is!), but, like any guy who cares enough to commission guitars, I’m pretty obsessed by tone and Oliver has definitely got this most important aspect down. It’s absolutely a “modern” sound, with great clarity, sustain, and plenty of overtones to keep the interest going. I brought my Taran Tirga Mhor along and we agreed the Marchwood lived in that company (in all aspects) without any embarrassment, which says an awful lot.

The whole way home I was struggling with whether I should also commission one. I hope common sense prevails because I have great guitars and absolutely don’t need another, but if I was in the market for a new guitar then I wouldn’t hesitate; IMHO Marchwood is competing with some of the best guitars at least twice its price.

Cheers,
Steve

How are you liking yours Dennis?

Fast-forward a few months and a pal of mine has just got a 00 cutaway from Oliver; engelmann over wenge.
I don't need another guitar...

...but got on the train anyway and a couple of hours later it was in my hands:

What a beautiful thing.
My pal is an accomplished woodworker and he was stymied trying to express his full admiration for Oliver's skills, notably the faceting around the headstock. Very, very classy and executed flawlessly.
TBH, I was expecting this as I'd experienced Denis' guitar previously. Crisp work indeed. And equally crisp fretwork and setup on the Fenland oak fretboard.

Sonically, again zero issues. Tons of clarity, overtones, and sustain. We had a Tom Sands MMD and Pre-War 000-28 on hand for comparison, with all three top-tier. Easy to agree that the Marchwood was from the modern Sands' stable rather than the Pre-War Martinesque. Beyond that, very difficult to separate them: The Sands was big and expansive, the Marchwood more focussed and intimate, but this is easily explained by the difference in body volume. Beyond that, we couldn't separate them.

Oliver's guitars are not paradigm changing. Sure, they're top-tier, but there are many, many great luthiers out there. However, I can't think of many (any?) doing similar work for the price.

Resistance is futile?

Cheers,
Steve

If anyone is in the slighted bit interested, here's a video I made today of me playing this delightful guitar.



Cheers,
Steve

Sounds great
 

What a nice guitar! So glad you’re happy with the results.

I must say, is a big fan of cedar, that I was hoping to hear the original top.

But, what a fantastic save.

Enjoy it in great health and spirits.

Paul