2007 Tobias Braun SP/SW

A 2007 classical guitar by Tobias Braun, with a bearclaw German spruce top and satinwood back and sides – his Santos model, made in Gaaden, near Vienna.

From Blueprints of a 1924 Santos

The plantilla and bracing come from the plans Tobias drew of the 1924 Santos owned by Luise Walker, the Austrian guitarist who studied with Miguel Llobet. For modern players he widened the nut and made the neck, top and back a touch thicker; everything else – side thickness, braces and their spacing – follows the original.

Satinwood, Tornavoz and a Stone-Marker Rosette

The satinwood back and sides are a rarity today; Tobias believes they enhance the sound. With a small tornavoz of about 16 mm, the tone is very clean and extremely loud, robust and round yet clear. The key motif in the rosette comes from an old boundary stone near his workshop, and his Rubner tuners are engraved with his initials. One can hear the great Spanish masters in it – this is Tobias's tip of the hat to Santos.

Read more: Orfeo Magazine No. 17 – The Viennese Guitar (with a feature on Tobias Braun)

Tobias Braun: A Romanillos-Trained Maker in the Vienna Woods

Tobias Braun was born in Holzminden, Germany, in 1960 and grew up in Perchtoldsdorf, just outside Vienna. He built his first guitar on his own in 1983, then took four courses with José Luis Romanillos between 1984 and 1992, earned his Master Craftsman's Certificate in Vienna in 1989 and helped translate Romanillos' book on Antonio de Torres into German. Since 1998 he has worked in Gaaden, in the Vienna Woods.

Santos, Ramírez and Rare Woods

His guitars grow out of the old Spanish masters – above all the 1924 Santos Hernández of Luise Walker, which he has studied and lectured on, and a 1912 Manuel Ramírez. Many have a small tornavoz for projection and clarity, and he is one of the few makers since García and Simplicio to work with satinwood. He was featured in Orfeo Magazine No. 17, "The Viennese Guitar".