2001 Richard Howell CD/IN

This 2001 Richard Howell classical guitar pairs a cedar top with Indian rosewood back and sides; made in Australia, it is played by Julius Reder Carlson in the videos on this page.

The Sound

Expect great volume, as from a Fleta, combined with a darker, more cello-like voice – the kind of guitar we have often called the best in the world for the Bach cello suites. A pleasure to play, it also makes a wonderful complement to the brighter spruce-top guitars from Germany and England.

Condition

This particular guitar is in excellent condition, with no damage or cracks, and only some minor playing wear.

Richard Howell: From Surrey to Victoria, Australia

Richard Howell was born in Surrey, England, and grew up around music – his father was a musical director in London. He fell in love with the guitar as a boy and made his first guitar in 1966. After moving to Australia in 1972 he began making guitars seriously, starting with student models for Jason Waldron of the Adelaide Spanish Guitar Centre. He works alone, mainly with traditional hand tools and finishes, in a small workshop behind his house in Mornington, Victoria.

In the Tradition of Ignacio Fleta

We consider Richard Howell to be the best traditional guitar maker in Australia. He studied the work of Hauser and Hernández y Aguado, but above all of Ignacio Fleta, and his guitars are very inspired by Fleta – yet after years of comparing them to the original Fletas we've had, one can see that he has clearly established his own style and characteristics. Using almost no power tools, he produces one of the most beautiful finishes in the world: warm and lustrous, and very similar to Fleta's violin-style varnish.

Richard Howell and GSI

Richard was the very first luthier GSI took on for US representation when we opened our doors in 1983, so we have a longstanding fondness for his instruments.