www.classicalguitars.ca

Classical Guitars
by
Fritz Mueller

Biography

Like so many of my generation, I fell in love with the classical guitar listening to recordings by Segovia and Bream. I began instrument building while I was an undergraduate in Wisconsin, then took it up more seriously a few years later when graduate school lost its charm. In the late 70’s I was fortunate to be able to work with master guitarbuilder Jeff Elliott in Portland, Oregon, where I was introduced to the possibilities of the Hauser model.

Although I studied literature and writing in university, I also have a technical orientation, and I’ve read extensively in musical acoustics. Interestingly, little of that has helped me design a better guitar, although it often helps me understand the principles behind an innovation that I’ve gotten to empirically, that is, through trial and error.

I love the combination of head, hands, and heart that is the luthier’s working day. With experience, I’ve grown to appreciate that the way the best instruments defy explanation is what gives this work its meaning.

For many years I have lived with my family on a former ranch in the mountains of British Columbia.