Marchwood 00C-12 Fret - Swiss Moon Spruce & Koa #MW26

Pale alpine beauty meets the burnished warmth of the tropics in this Marchwood 00C 12 Fret, an exquisite expression of Oliver Marchant’s artistic eye and deeply considered craftsmanship. Its Swiss Moon Spruce soundboard provides a luminous canvas for bold geometric marquetry, while the figured koa back and sides glow with shades of honey, copper, and dark caramel. There is wonderful tension in its design, where flowing curves meet crisp angles and quiet expanses of wood give way to intricate detail. Every element feels connected, each material bringing greater depth to the next.

Working in England, Oliver Marchant approaches lutherie with the sensibilities of both a craftsman and a visual artist. His studies in art and design at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham helped shape an aesthetic grounded in proportion, texture, and thoughtful composition. Since building his first guitar in 2013, he has continued refining his instruments through hands on construction, repair, and setup work. His broader creative interests include marquetry, printmaking, and photographic processes, influences that have found their way into his decorative work and lend Marchwood guitars a distinctly personal identity.

That artistic curiosity is supported by a meticulous approach at the bench. Oliver carries each guitar from initial design through construction, voicing, finishing, and final setup, allowing every decision to inform the instrument as a whole. Traditional hand tools and contemporary structural thinking serve the same purpose in his work: creating a responsive, comfortable instrument whose beauty is inseparable from its function. His style is especially compelling here, combining the intimacy of a 12 fret guitar with a sculptural cutaway and a strikingly modern decorative vocabulary.

The Swiss Moon Spruce top has a soft, creamy complexion, its fine grain and delicate crossgrain shimmer providing an elegant backdrop for the ziricote and maple rosette. Encircling the soundhole, an intricate procession of contrasting triangles and angular lines creates a rhythmic, almost woven effect. The pale maple seems to flicker against the darker wood, giving the rosette remarkable presence without overwhelming the soundboard. Below it, the ziricote bridge carries its own flowing grain, with dark ribbons sweeping across a graceful shape that echoes the roundness of the lower bout.

Turn the guitar over and the koa reveals an entirely different landscape. Long, dark grain lines travel through a glowing amber field, crossed by waves of tightly rippled figure that give the surface an almost textile richness. The effect is wonderfully dimensional, with coppery highlights and deeper brown shadows lending the wood a sense of movement. Ziricote body binding frames this natural drama, while fine maple purflings trace the silhouette in a slender line of light. The hand made Rosinate Anchor oil finish lends the presentation a gentle sheen, beautifully suited to the warmth and organic character of these woods.

Musically, Swiss Moon Spruce and koa offer an enticing foundation for a guitar devoted to nuance. The pairing brings together the tonal qualities commonly associated with fine European spruce, including clarity and sensitivity, with koa’s appealing balance of focused warmth and bright definition. For the fingerstyle player, that combination holds particular promise, inviting attention to the shape of individual notes, the separation of moving voices, and the color that remains as a chord fades. Oliver’s careful approach to voicing places those expressive possibilities at the center of the instrument’s purpose.

A 15 inch lower bout, 11 inch upper bout, and 9.5 inch waist give the body generous curves within an approachable footprint. The cutaway sweeps inward before rising to a neatly defined point, creating both a distinctive profile and useful access beyond the 12 fret neck joint. The Honduran mahogany neck supports a richly grained ziricote fingerboard, with a 1.81 inch, or 46mm, nut width and 2.24 inch, or 57mm, bridge spacing offering welcome room for intricate fretting and precise fingerwork.

The slotted headstock adds a touch of classical elegance, complemented by a ziricote veneer and Schaller Satin Pearl tuning machines with snakewood buttons. Even the signed interior label, with its branching illustration and angular Marchwood emblem, feels connected to the guitar’s artistic character. At 4 pounds, 11 ounces, and accompanied by a Hiscox hardshell case, this Marchwood is a beautiful invitation into Oliver Marchant’s world of thoughtful design and individual craftsmanship. It is an instrument to live with closely, discovering another ripple in the koa, another carefully joined detail, and another musical idea each time it returns to your hands.

Other specifications include:

• Swiss Moon Spruce Top
• Figured Koa Back & Sides
• Honduran Mahogany Neck
• Ziricote Fingerboard & Bridge
• Ziricote Headstock Veneer
• Honduran Mahogany Neck
• Ziricote Body Binding
• Maple Purflings
• Ziricote & Maple Rosette
• Hand Made Rosinate Anchor Oil Finish
• Schaller Satin Pearl Tuning Machines with Snakewood Buttons
• Hiscox Hardshell Case
• 12 Fret Neck Joint
• 15" Lower Bout
• 11" Upper Bout
• 9.5" Waist
• 1.81” (46mm) Nut Width
• 2.24” (57mm) Bridge Spacing
• 4 lbs 11 oz
• #MW26

For more information about the Marchwood 00C-12 Fret, please contact us.

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