2005 Otto Vowinkel "2a" CD/IN

This 2005 Otto Vowinkel “2a” is a classical guitar with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides, built in Barcelona by Antonio Picado to Otto Vowinkel’s design, with a traditional mosaic rosette in place of the usual concentric rings.

A “2a” with a Mosaic Rosette

This guitar came about through the collaborative effort between Otto Vowinkel of Amsterdam and Antonio Picado of Barcelona. On this one, the normal rosette design of concentric rings has been swapped for a more traditional design with a mosaic.

Sound and Condition

It is physically light, very penetrating and easy to play, with great volume and a lot of sustain and warmth – one of the best cedar-top choices for the serious student or beginning performer. Although a second-hand guitar, it is in excellent shape, with some normal wear in the finish and two invisible, well-repaired cracks on either side of the fingerboard.

Otto Vowinkel: Classical Guitar Maker in Amsterdam

Otto Vowinkel grew up in a family of tailors in the old center of Amsterdam. He came to the guitar as a player, and in 1984 – with no teacher, a few basic tools and Irving Sloane’s book Classical Guitar Construction – he built his first guitar in the attic of his house. He learned by showing each new guitar to every guitarist he could find and building the next one with their comments in mind.

Traditional Spanish Building and French Polish

In 1989 Otto met his future wife, the Dutch guitarist Esther Steenbergen, and the Andalusia-based Dutch maker Alex van der Horst (“Alejandro”, 1959–2009), with whom he worked regularly and shared his ideas about the ideal guitar: a flexible tone, a quick response, and quality of sound as the carrier of volume. Otto builds in the traditional way and is a specialist in French polish, on which he now gives lectures and workshops. His rosettes carry the colors of the flag of Amsterdam.

Concert Guitars and Student Models

Besides his concert classical guitars, Otto makes flamenco guitars, quart guitars and fifth-bass (baritone) guitars. He has also designed student models that are handmade in small workshops in Spain under his supervision. You can read more in our article on Otto Vowinkel.