Bit of intentional thread creep:

GUEST,tunesmith. Martin Simpson get his unplugged volume from the Sobell guitar he uses. They are REALLY LOUD, and he uses heavy gauge strings. Stefan Sobel has just made him a signature model, which you can buy for approx £8,000 (yes, that's eight grand pounds sterling!). Martin also has nail extensions on the 1st-3rd fingers of his right hand, which allows him to hit the strings really hard without danage to his nails.

Pete