1991 Eric Sahlin CD/CSAR

Built by Eric Sahlin in 1991, this cedar and CSA rosewood classical guitar has the pin bridge Eric used at the time, inspired by John Gilbert.

Early Eric Sahlin with a Gilbert-Style Pin Bridge

This 1991 is a fantastic example of Sahlin's earlier work. Rich, clean and incredibly powerful, the tone projects with great separation and color. At this time Eric was using the John Gilbert-style pin-bridge system, which gives each string an independent resting point on the bridge for enhanced separation and clarity between voices. Materials then, as now, are first-rate – particularly the gorgeous set of CSA rosewood for the back and sides.

Restoration by Pat Quinn

The guitar was recently repaired by Pat Quinn in San Diego, mainly to repair a couple of cracks in the back and sides. It was also repolished to remove dings in the top and a tap plate that was pulling up the finish. Pat also dressed the frets and gave it a new setup, so this guitar is now ready for prime time.

The Sahlin Neck

It also features Sahlin's famous slight "twist" in the neck profile, which eases the stress on the left-hand wrist in the lower positions and lets the player keep a straighter, less "bent" wrist even when barring – one of the most ergonomically well thought-out designs we've seen. Overall, a solid concert instrument in every regard.

Read more: Orfeo Magazine No. 10 – West Coast Luthiers

Eric Sahlin: American Classical Guitar Maker

Eric Sahlin is one of the great American luthiers who has achieved world-class status, with a waiting list of over a decade and significant demand in the US, Europe and Japan. Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, he is self-taught and builds in Valleyford, just outside the city.

From UC Santa Barbara to a Full-Time Workshop

His first exposure to the classical guitar came in his teens, when his brother took up the instrument – and with it came the great guitar recordings on his brother's Musical Heritage Society LPs. At UC Santa Barbara, with its strong classical guitar program, Eric decided in 1975, his first year, to build a guitar of his own: a love of woodworking since early childhood and an interest in acoustical physics made it seem like a wonderful adventure. He studied the books, bought his first woods that spring and finished the guitar that summer. By the time a second one was done, his career was decided.

He set up shop building custom furniture while honing his guitar making on the side, and by 1978/79 he was building guitars full-time – helped by a chance connection with George Dauphinais of the Dauphin Company, a mail-order business that marketed Eric's 7-, 8- and 10-string guitars as a less expensive alternative to the multi-string instruments then on offer.

Lutes, Then Classical Guitars Only

In the early 1980s a lutenist friend asked Eric for a lute. He enjoyed the project so much that he studied these instruments in depth and built various lute models alongside his guitars. By the end of the decade, with the guitar market strengthening and his reputation established, he turned exclusively to his first love, the classical guitar.

Players and Design

Sahlin guitars have been played by Scott Tennant, Andrew York, Ottmar Liebert (flamenco), Carsten Pedersen and other top players worldwide. They are known for precise, restrained mother-of-pearl trim and for Eric's innovative "twisted" fingerboard, which he talked about when Orfeo Magazine visited his Spokane-area workshop for its West Coast issue (No. 10, 2017).