1951 Edgar Mönch SP/IN

This 1951 Edgar Mönch is a spruce and Indian rosewood classical guitar made in Munich, Germany: a lightweight, Hauser-like vintage instrument that has stayed in one family for 75 years.

A 1951 Edgar Mönch from Munich

This is a fine example by the well-known German builder Edgar Mönch, made in Munich before he moved to Toronto. It is one of the best-sounding Mönch guitars we've ever seen, and the oldest. Its build date is contemporaneous with the final instruments made by Hermann Hauser I at the end of his career.

Played by Segovia, Bream, and John Williams

Mönch guitars from this period have a remarkable history. John Williams played one as a boy and early in his career, and Segovia owned one that he used for his daily practice. Julian Bream recorded his second album for RCA on a 1959 Mönch from the same era as the guitar offered here.

A Hauser-Like Vintage Sound

The guitar is very lightweight, and it sounds and plays a bit like a Hauser I from the same period. Its sound is best described as charming, woody, and old-world, with great clarity, projection, and separation. The loose, warm, and very open voice makes it hard to put down, as does the easy playability and soft action that only older, played-in vintage guitars offer. It also has plenty of power, even by today's standards.

Exceptional Vintage Condition

The guitar is in exceptional condition for being 75 years old. Apart from one well-repaired crack in the side near the foot, which has no effect on the sound, it is otherwise pristine for its age.

Three Generations of Provenance

This guitar has remained with the family of its original owner for three generations since it was first sold in 1951. It's a very rare opportunity to own an exceptional instrument that is coming to market for the first time in its life.

A Remarkable Journey

Edgar Mönch's road to the guitar workshop was anything but ordinary. Born in Leipzig in 1907, he trained first as an engineer and a violinist, with studies in Danzig and Prague. It wasn't until World War II that he discovered guitar making. As a prisoner of war in England from 1944 to 1947, he found his way into a camp workshop run by the Y.M.C.A., and a new calling was born.

Building in Postwar Munich

Back in Germany, Edgar began building in Munich in 1948 from very humble beginnings: little more than a rented room and a handful of tools, with well over a hundred hours of handwork going into every guitar. He was drawn to the Spanish tradition from the start, and in 1952 he traveled to Madrid to learn from Marcelo Barbero, one of the finest Spanish makers of the era. His Munich years, which lasted until the mid-1960s, produced some of the most important work of his career.

A New Chapter in Canada

In 1965 Edgar moved to Toronto, where he built until 1971 and helped shape a new generation of Canadian makers. By the time of his death in 1977, he had made roughly 350 guitars, along with a handful of lutes. His instruments reached players all over the world, including some of the most celebrated names in the classical guitar: Andrés Segovia, Julian Bream, John Williams, and Vicente Gómez.