Matt Woodward hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He began working on guitars, performing mostly light repairs and setups, at the age of 14 at his hometown music store, Saied Music Company, where he worked in the Guitar/Pro Audio dept. He also worked closely there with then Guitar Player magazine electronics guru David Hicks (r.i.p.), and helped in the testing & development of his products, amp mods, and with gear reviews for GP magazine, as well as playing locally with Jamie Oldaker (r.i.p.) of Eric Clapton fame. At 17 yrs. he signed his first recording and management contracts and began a long career of music, bands, recording, indie label deals, and touring, all the while accumulating a working mans’ handbook of gear knowledge and skills that kept his own and others, instruments and gear up to snuff, often picking up new skills along the way from other techs. Matt is typically the band member that keeps the bands gear working on the road! He also worked closely with Grammatico Amplifiers John Grammatico in the intense R&D and development of its V1 “Kingsville” amplifier, as well as being an
idea springboard and lending his “golden ears” as an amp tester to Las Vegas amp guru Carl Popek. Now working under the guidance of guitar builder & sage Neil Smith at Vegas Guitars, Matt continues to further his tech education in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is married to wife Cari, and also holds the guitar chair and song co-writing duties with rising Modern Country sensation Dez Hoston. Matt is a silver certified and authorized repairman for FMIC.