www.classicalguitars.ca

Handmade
Classical Guitars
by
Fritz Mueller

Magical concert guitars
by one of Canada's leading luthiers.

Go directly to an essay about double-tops

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Dear guitarist:

Welcome to my website, and thank you for your interest in my instruments.

I make classical guitars exclusively, approximately eight instruments per year. Since working with Jeff Elliott in the late 70's, my building has been firmly rooted in the Hauser tradition. Over the years I have added many of my own innovations, but important construction details from Hauser's instruments, such as their tap tones and air resonances, and even his plantilla (or body outline), still form the foundation of my work, while the magical Hauser sound continues to be an inspiration.

One relatively recent and exciting innovation in my instruments is the use of double or composite construction for the soundboards. This is the same type of top construction used by German builder Matthias Dammann on instruments played by David Russell, Scott Tennant, and Manuel Barrueco, among others. The dramatic improvements in power and responsiveness - while maintaining the traditional tonality of the guitar - are nothing short of thrilling.

Outwardly double-tops look like traditional instruments, and inwardly they do as well. Struts and barring inside a double-topped instrument can be very traditional, with the real innovations tucked away invisibly inside the double-skinned top. The result is a soundboard of standard thickness and stiffness that is perhaps 25% lighter than its solid-wood equivalent. For the player this means a broad dynamic range, plus exciting responsiveness to both left and right hand technique.

Early double-top instruments by the German innovators often suffered from unevenness, as well as a tendency toward a thin sound. I have overcome these problems by modifying the configuration of the middle lamination of the top and by making subtle changes to the configuration of the back and sides. Balance and note-to-note evenness in my latest double-top instruments are exceptional. Scales can be played seamlessly through all registers of the guitar, all the way to the highest notes. No weak notes, no wolf notes. And with a sound that is rich and meaningful. See the discussion about double-tops elsewhere on this site for more details.

For those interested in trying one of my guitars, I ship anywhere in the world and offer a 7-day trial period. Please explore my site and contact me with your questions and ideas.

Thank you again for your interest in my guitars.

Best wishes

Fritz Mueller

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