Guitar Spotlight: Kenneth Brögger's "Stradivarius"

Our newest Guitar Spotlight features a striking instrument from Danish luthier Kenneth Brögger: his 2020 "Stradivarius" model in spruce and CSA rosewood.

The design traces back to 2011, when Kenneth encountered a group of ornate original Stradivari violins at the instrument fair in Cremona. One violin in particular stayed with him, and its inlay work became the inspiration for this guitar. He recreated the same pattern of alternating circles and rhombus shapes in genuine mammoth tusk around the soundboard's border, echoed again in the rosette, with a subtle "S" motif in both the rosette and tie-block as a nod to Stradivari himself. An ebony inlay in the rosewood head completes the look.

The tone matches the ambition of the design: warm and clear, with a lyrical treble quality more often found in much older instruments, and full, round basses.

Kenneth has spent over five decades establishing himself as Denmark's leading builder of traditional Spanish-style guitars. In 1997, the Queen of Denmark honored him with the Applied Arts Prize of 1879 and the silver Hetsch Medal, the country's highest recognition for artisan craftsmanship.