2015 Michael Thames No. 907 "Tornavoz" SP/IN

This 2015 Michael Thames No. 907 “Tornavoz” is a spruce and Indian rosewood classical guitar with a floating carbon-fiber tornavoz inside the soundhole.

A Carbon-Fiber Tornavoz

Thames experimented a great deal with the tornavoz, first in brass and later mostly in carbon fiber, which he felt sounded better and does not get dirty and discolored like brass. Here it floats, with no support from the back – which makes its weight crucial, since a heavy brass tube would make the top less responsive. It adds a noticeable boom to the bottom of each note and sparkle to the trebles.

Sound and Details

The sound is rich and layered, with a great amount of color. The aesthetic is elegant, with a maple strip down the center of the back and understated, beautifully executed purfling and rosette. The label is numbered 907 and dated 2015.

Michael Thames: Half a Century of Guitars in New Mexico

American luthier Michael Thames built guitars in New Mexico for more than half a century – first under the label “The Land of Enchantment”, then in Taos and, from the mid-2000s, in Santa Fe – and by 2018 he had made over 1000 instruments. His numbered labels carry his family crest and signature. He has recently retired and now lives in Thailand.

Historical Replicas and Experimental Designs

Thames built a great variety of instruments: traditional concert guitars and flamenco guitars, historical models after René Lacote and Antonio de Torres, and experimental designs of his own, such as guitars with a brass or carbon-fiber tornavoz. For him the most important quality in a great guitar was the attack and ease of response, and his guitars are known for a big, robust and lush sound.