2018 Marin Nejime "Friederich" SP/IN

Marin Nejime is an up-and-coming, talented young builder based in Japan. His father, also a guitar maker, apprenticed with Antonio Marin in Granada, Spain and even named his son after this great and legendary maker. Marin Nejime built his first guitar only in 2011, but in 2012 decided to follow his fathers footsteps to apprentice directly with Antonio Marin for 3 months in Spain. As a result, Nejime's style is highly influenced by Antonio Marin in many elements - most notably in the aesthetics (see the rosette for example) but also structurally. We first encountered his work at the 2017 Granada Guitar Making Competition and found him to the most "Granada-like" of any Japanese builder we've seen to date. However with this model, Nejime maintains his foundational Granada roots but also pays hommage to the great French luthier, Daniel Friederich. Apart from the carved "Friederich-like" head, and some internal structural elements that are taken from Friederich, this guitar is not a literal copy of a Friederich but rather a blending of some Friederich features into Nejime's standard model. It has a beautiful, rich sound - very lyrical with full basses and fat, yet clear trebles. Surprisingly big volume and easy playability make this a very attractive guitar for the young professional, especially for the price. The fit and finish are very clean - overall solidly built instrument by a rising talent.

Orfeo No. 15: The Guitar in Japan