Articles
How Can You Have A More Beautiful Life By Playing Guitar?
Life is More Beautiful with Guitar 生 き が い The Japanese have a word Ikigai which translated means 'one's life purpose or reason for...
Beautiful & Unusual Classical Guitars – Episode 4: ‘Newark’ Christian Koehn
A fabulous front view of the Newark 2016 model. IntroductionChristian Koehn - a luthier from Germany has been making guitars professionally since he graduated at the top of the International...
Beautiful & Unusual Classical Guitars – Episode 3: ‘Black Diamond’ (Rafał Turkowiak)
'Black Diamond' by Rafał Turkowiak. IntroductionPolish luthier extraordinaire Rafał Turkowiak is no stranger to building and designing some of the most stunning and ground-breaking classical guitars in the world. After...
Beautiful & Unusual Classical Guitars – Episode 2: Mangore ‘White Tiger’
IntroductionBellucci Guitars headed by Renato Bellucci is known for making stunning guitars made from exotic woods and incorporating new design features like beveled cutaways, elevated fingerboards, soundports, & tailpiece bridges....
Beautiful & Unusual Classical Guitars – Episode 1: Projection Guitar (Florian Vorreiter)
IntroductionEvery now and again we see a picture or watch a video and something within catches our eye & our imagination. A couple of months ago I was browsing through...
Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 9: Reinforced Carbon Fiber Neck
Guitar necks with carbon fiber (fibre) reinforcing rods from 'The Art of Lutherie'. IntroductionClassical guitar necks usually aren't the most interesting conversation topic. Most of us are concerned with what...
Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 8: Fanned Frets
A stunning Alto 11-string guitar by Neris Gonzalez (Bartolex). IntroductionGuitars with additional strings are nothing new. From the earliest days of the lute instruments that resembled guitars have always been...
Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 7: Arched Back
A beautiful example of an 'arched back' classical guitar by Theo Sharpach. IntroductionClassical guitars have been around in their present form for circa 200 years. Since that time their design...
Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 6: Double Top
IntroductionOf all the classical guitar design innovations that have evolved over the past three decades soundboard design is the one that has probably had the most time, effort, and thought...
Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 5: Lattice Bracing
A view of a lattice bracing system (http://www.guitarras-fogas.com) IntroductionUp until a couple of decades ago most if not all classical guitars were constructed using the fan bracing method or variations...
Classical Guitar Virtuoso Profile: Julian Bream
Julian Bream - The Legend! IntroductionJulian Bream is without a doubt my favourite classical guitarist. I was privileged enough to see the living legend perform in my first year of...
Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 4: Armrest
A Greg Smallman 'armrest' close-up and personal. IntroductionWelcome to part 4 in my series of articles about modern classical guitar design. In this article I will be discussing an innovation...
Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 3: Soundports
Florian Vorreiter 'soundport' design IntroductionTraditionally guitars have had a single soundhole located at the front of the guitar to allow the sound to escape and be heard by the guitarist...
Modern Classical Guitar Design Part 2: Indented Cutaway
Bellucci guitar with an 'Indented Cutaway' from Mangore guitars. IntroductionAccess to frets past the 12th fret has gained increasing attention from luthiers and guitarists for at least a decade. I mentioned...
