2018 Michael Thames No. 962 "Ancient Dragon" CD/IN

This 2018 Michael Thames No. 962 “Ancient Dragon” is a cedar and Indian rosewood classical guitar from Santa Fe – its top cut from a 500-year-old cedar tree that fell naturally.

“Ancient Dragon”

In Michael’s own words: “It features a top made from a cedar tree that was 500 years old that fell naturally. I call guitars made from this wood ‘Ancient Dragons’. The back and sides are 50 year old Indian rosewood. And the rosette is styled after Torres.” The name is written by hand on the label, beside the number 962 and the year 2018.

Sound and Playability

Easy to play, it has a big, robust and lush sound – rich in overtones yet elegantly balanced and clear. An armrest is fitted for a more comfortable position of the right arm. Preston Hong plays Roland Dyens’s “Andantinostalgie” and “Tuhu” on it in the video above. Although second-hand, it was in great shape, with only minor wear in the finish – a very fine concert instrument.

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.