I wouldn’t be an aficionado of guitars. I play the acoustic, but in a rock band sense, using pedals and stuff. Generally speaking I go for something that’s designed to fill out a sound, and that can take a lot of knocks.

I’d never played a Lakewood before and so this was automatically something new and different for me. Being a frontman, usually the first thing I take into consideration about a guitar is how it looks, and this one is really nicely designed. I love the fact that it has no cut-away: it has a full figure-8 body, which to me is the shape an acoustic guitar should ideally have.
It’s also got a pretty solid frame, which I need. It feels good and sturdy. Put it this way – it doesn’t look like it’s going to fall apart on you, which higher-end guitars sometimes do. They can be very fragile. If you’re in a rock band, where there’s a bit of jumping around involved, the last thing you want to feel is that if you drop the guitar it’s going to smash.
It sounds very good played acoustically. It has really impressive sustain and a nice rich tone. It’s also easy to play – it has a lovely light action, and so it’s easy on the fingers, which is important if you’re a gigging musician... I can see that it’d be a really good guitar for a singer-songwriter or for someone whose thing it is to play acoustic and who is looking for delicacy. For example, it would suit somebody who was serious about playing folk music and into fingerpicking: there’s great clarity even in the lower register.
I had a play of it when it was plugged in as well and it sounds good through an amp. I’m sure you could get a lovely pure sound after a bit of experimentation using the right amplifier.
It’s quite a bit more expensive than what I’m used to – but then it is a better guitar. I’m not very delicate with my own guitars, so if I was to own a Lakewood I’d certainly have to take a lot better care of it than I do the guitars I have. If money was no object, I would totally recommend it.

The Mighty Stef’s album 100 Midnights is out on The Firstborn Is Dead Recordings. He plays Psychofest @ Twisted Pepper, Dublin on June 3