Michihiro Matsuda was born in Nagoya and raised in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating from the Robert Venn School of Lutherie in Phoenix, Arizona, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area for an apprenticeship with master luthier Ervin Somogyi. Following his apprenticeship, he studied guitar repair with renowned instrument repairman Frank Ford of Gryphon Stringed Instruments, where (circa 2017) he was a member of the repair staff. Starting in 1997, Matsuda has made around 12 acoustic and classical guitars each year pairing traditional woodworking skills with an innovative sense of design and construction.

Source: Michihiro Matsuda website (24 February 2018)