2010 Tobias Berg CD/PF

This 2010 Tobias Berg is a classical guitar with a cedar top and pau ferro back and sides, built in Germany with dramatic sapwood in the back.

Cedar and Pau Ferro

This particular guitar is light in weight and therefore very comfortable and fun to play. As well as being ultra-responsive, it has a beautiful, liquid quality to the tone and is incredibly well balanced. The cedar top gives a sound rich in overtones supporting a very clear fundamental across all registers. It also features striking materials, most notably a beautiful set of pau ferro for the back and sides with dramatic sap elements, and its understated carvings and inlays make it a beautiful and charming instrument.

Played by Scott Tennant

At the time, his guitars were quickly gaining recognition among classical guitarists - concert artist Scott Tennant of the LAGQ bought one. Along with a bold and unique appearance, Berg's guitars are very impressive overall, and we are excited to be representing this fine luthier here at GSI.

Tobias Berg: From Sweden to Germany

Tobias Berg was born in 1972 in Helsingborg, Sweden, and grew up in the fishing village of Viken. After building his first classical guitar in 1995, he set out to learn the art and craft of guitar making, with courses and diplomas in Canada, England and the USA and time spent with top luthiers including Robert Ruck and Jeffrey Elliott. In 1998 he settled in Germany, where he worked for six years at Lakewood Guitars before earning the German master title (Meister) in Mittenwald in 2004 and opening his own workshop. Today he works in Kirchhain-Anzefahr, in Hesse.

Light, Compact Guitars with Double Sides

Tobias builds traditional, lightweight guitars with a slightly compact body, in the spirit of the Spanish makers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and since 2011 he has built them with double sides - a practice known from Madrid builders and from Daniel Friederich, whom he holds in very high esteem. His headstock, rosette and bridge designs reflect a fondness for traditional Japanese architecture. GSI has been working with Tobias since 2005, when he sent us his 20th guitar; in 2026 he built his 50th guitar for us.