"One of the best Central European makers we've seen to date. He uses spectacular materials including gorgeous German spruce which is covered in bearclaw markings and has irregular, yet tight and beautiful grain patterns..."
Guitar Salon International, Santa Monica CA

1. Manuel Ramírez, 1912: The body of this guitar, compared to others I have researched, could be described as rather delicate, which belies the sheer volume and carrying power of the sound. This instrument has a fast response and produces a formable and transparent sound rich in tone colours. (Bearclaw Spruce/Satin Wood)

2. Santos Hernández, 1924: This instrument was part of the estate of the late Luise Walker (1988). Her teacher, Miguel Llobet, personally brought this guitar direct from Santos Hernández’s workshop to Vienna in 1924. The body of this instrument is really the antithesis of the 1912 Ramirez in terms of its dimensions. The larger resonance body gives it somewhat more warmth to the sound in the bass. The response is a little slower than the Ramírez, but when it comes to volume and transparency, there is no difference. I am often asked to describe the differences in the sound between these two instruments, and I would say the Santos is the more “philosophical” of the two. (Spruce/Indian Rosewood)

3. Manuel Reyes, 1989:I use this design for flamenco guitars as well as for classical instruments with Cedar tops. (Spruce/Cypress)

4. Martin 00-21: The most fascinating about this instrument is its balanced sound. For a steel-string guitar, it has a really delicate body, but the basses and trebles are still very well balanced. Its transparency and the broader fingerboard make it ideally suited to finger-picking and bottle-neck players. The neck joins the body at the 12th fret – as it is with the original. The mother-of-pearl on the top and the fingerboard is a custom feature. (Sitka Spruce/Indian Rosewood)

5. Martin M-36: This instrument too has a fast response and a well-balanced sound. It differs from the Martin 00-21 in that it boasts characteristics of a “standard” steel-string Guitar: larger body, narrow finger-board and the neck join at the 14th fret. The cutaway (seen in the picture) is a custom feature which, as far as I am concerned, is a necessary variation included for reasons of playability. (Sitka Spruce/East Indian Rosewood)

Custom Shop

Asymmetrical 10-string Guitar
My Japanese dealer, Eisuke Ozaki, came up with a very good idea for improving the playability of the broad 10-string fingerboard. He suggested “shifting” the neck “upwards”. This I do by joining the neck to the body in a way that the median line of the broader fingerboard is shifted 10mm away from the median of the body in the direction of the bass-strings. The Japanese guitarist and teacher Y. Iwanaga and many of his students play on these asymmetrical instruments.

Collectors’ Series
On request, I build highly sophisticated Classical Guitars with detailed, ambitious ornamentation.

An example of such a detail is the hand-made purfling which I fit to the edges of these guitars, as well as the rosette, bridge and head which can all be embellished. These adornments are usually an expression of my personal affinity to the Spanish guitar-making tradition.

The Woods
All my woods are naturally air-dried. In 1988 I started buying and storing wood - sometimes whole trees - which means I have ready access to a large, varied and well-aged stock of woods.

The Soundboard
I almost exclusively use Spruce from the Austrian Alps and the Bohemian Forest for the soundboards. I have a particular preference for Bearclaw Spruce which I have been working with for many years. This wood has aesthetic and acoustic properties that have always impressed me. It goes without saying that I also build instruments with Canadian cedar soundboards.

The Back
The wood I use mostly for constructing the backs of the guitars is East Indian Rosewood. Other woods in this price class I can offer are flamed or bird’s-eye maple, or yew (in limited quantities) as alternatives to Rosewood.
For more expensive instruments I can offer the choice between Brazilian Rosewood and Ziricote. Additionally, I am proud to be able to offer the very rare Satinwood (Fagara Flava) – have a look at the picture! I believe this wood has superb acoustic properties. I originally got the idea to use this wood from an exquisite guitar by Francisco Simplicio (Number 241 - 1929).

The Neck
Here I can offer the choice between South American Cedar (Cedro) and Honduras Mahogany.

The Fingerboard
The standard fingerboard is Ebony.

Construction Details
Over the years of my association with the Spanish guitar, I have often come across the so-called “tornavoz”, a metal conical megaphone-like structure fitted to the inside of the sound hole extending a few centimetres into the instrument. Technically speaking, it lowers the fundamental of the resonance body. It serves to focus the sound and improve the sound projection of the instrument. Antonio de Torres as well as his contemporaries and successors often used this “sound funnel” in their work.

The disadvantages of this feature include a rather “indirect” feel for the player as well as difficulties in accessing the inside of the body for repairs. My “variation on this theme” is a wooden ring fitted to the inside of the sound hole extending about 17mm (2/3rds of an inch) into the instrument. This has a substantial effect of the sound without limiting access to the inside of the body for repairs.

The Rosette with the “Key” Motif
The design for my one of my rosettes relates to a regionally historical motif. On the street where I live there is a boundary stone dating back to 1739, which depicts a pair of crossed keys.

This was the part of the coat of arms of a regional legislative authority (the district of Melk in Upper Austria) on which I have modelled my inlays.

My Instruments in General
I offer a lifetime guarantee on the woods and workmanship of my guitars. This naturally implies correct handling of the guitars as well as regard for appropriate humidity and temperature levels when storing the instruments. This guarantee does not include frets, lacquer, tuners or the standard case provided (Hiscox Pro-Line) neither does it cover other parts subject to wear nor parts fitted by someone other than myself.