2020 Matthew Chaffin SP/IN

A 2020 classical guitar by Matthew Chaffin, with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides with a wide maple center strip – a mother-of-pearl tie block and a Santos-inspired rosette.

In the video above, Tengyue "TY" Zhang plays Carlos Seixas' Keyboard Sonata No. 24 on this guitar.

Indian Rosewood with a Maple Center Strip

Matt chose a gorgeous set of Indian rosewood with a wide, tapered maple strip down the center of the back, and added a mother-of-pearl tie block and a rosette with a Santos-inspired "wave" motif.

Sound and Playability

At once firm and refined, clean and stable – at times reminiscent of a Hauser – yet open and charming and eager to be pushed, it keeps bass and treble in balance even at great volume. Easy to play, with all the power any concert player could need: a remarkably mature, tastefully restrained example of modern American guitar making, deeply rooted in the Spanish school.

Matthew Chaffin: A Michigan Maker in the Spanish Tradition

Matthew Chaffin is an American classical guitar maker based in Orion, Michigan, a fourth-generation woodworker in a family line that began with his great-grandfather's fine furniture. For more than two decades he has studied the construction methods of the great Spanish makers – above all Antonio de Torres, Santos Hernández and Domingo Esteso – and he builds his guitars entirely by hand, often with turn-of-the-century tools he restores himself.

Light, Responsive and Lyrical

His aim is a lightweight, responsive and lyrical guitar with a classic, understated look – firm and refined in sound, at times reminiscent of a Hauser, yet open and charming and happy to be pushed hard, with excellent balance between bass and treble and a smooth, comfortable neck. GSI is his only dealer in the USA.