François Leonard is a French classical guitar maker, born in Nantes in 1973, who has worked in Lorient, Brittany, since 2006. Trained in England and at Lakewood Guitars in Germany alongside Tobias Berg, he builds double-sided guitars in the French tradition of Daniel Friederich and Dominique Field.
At a Glance
- Born: 1973, Nantes, France
- Workshop: Lorient, Brittany, France (since 2006)
- Trained: Newark School, England, with Roy Courtnall (from 1995); Lakewood Guitars, Germany
- Influences: Daniel Friederich, Dominique Field, Tobias Berg
- Known for: Double sides, his own modified lattice bracing and French polish
A French Luthier in the Line of Friederich and Field
As part of a powerful French force of guitar makers – Daniel Friederich, Dominique Field and Jean-Noël Rohé among them – François Leonard fits right in. He has learned a lot from his contemporaries, which allows him to produce instruments of great structural quality and beautiful sound.
Five Years in England
François Leonard was born in Nantes, near the west coast of France, in 1973. After studying the guitar for a few years, he moved to England in 1995 to focus on guitar making, studying at the Newark School under Roy Courtnall, author of Making Master Guitars. He stayed in England for five years, exchanging ideas and methods with violin makers and makers of other stringed instruments, which opened his understanding of many construction techniques. He also built many little-known traditional instruments, such as the Swedish nyckelharpa and the hammered dulcimer.
Lakewood Guitars and Tobias Berg
At the start of the new millennium François moved to Germany to work for Lakewood Guitars, again for five years. Together with Tobias Berg – a dear colleague and good friend of both GSI and François – he worked on several thousand guitars, responsible for body construction. Through that collaboration he learned the intuitive art of choosing tops and developed an ear for their thicknesses, understanding the sound signature a given top can produce together with all the other parts of the guitar. During his first three years in Germany he also met Michel Brück, from whom he gained a very practical knowledge of French polishing.
His Own Workshop in Lorient
In 2006 François set up his own workshop in Lorient, Brittany, and began to develop his own guitars, enhancing the mechanics of the instrument with double sides for more presence of sound. He visits Dominique Field regularly, learning about the subtle aesthetics of the instrument, visual and sonic, and tuning the nuances of sound to his own vision. He has also been meeting with acousticians to exchange ideas about the acoustic properties of the guitar and to add scientific understanding to the intuitive side of its design. His bracing is his own: a kind of modified lattice of seven low and seven high struts, without carbon, adapted to each top.
When he isn't building, François practices the guitar every minute he can, plays the harmonica and sings in several bands – a source of happiness that inspires his work. He hopes to build for as long as his famous French colleague Daniel Friederich did.
François Leonard Guitars at GSI
Many François Leonard guitars have passed through our doors since 2014. You'll find guitars currently in stock by clicking the "Guitars In Stock" button in the header of this page as well as earlier examples in our Museum by clicking the "Guitars In Museum" button.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is François Leonard?
A French classical guitar maker, born in Nantes in 1973, who has worked in Lorient, Brittany, since 2006.
Where did François Leonard train?
At the Newark School in England with Roy Courtnall, and for five years at Lakewood Guitars in Germany, working with Tobias Berg.
