2011 Tobias Braun SP/SW

A 2011 classical guitar by Tobias Braun, with a bearclaw German spruce top and satinwood back and sides, made near Vienna.

Bringing Back Satinwood

Satinwood is hard to work, and most makers leave it alone; Enrique García and Francisco Simplicio were adept with it, and Tobias has spent years reintroducing it for the sound it gives. The rosette carries his key motif, taken from an old stone boundary marker near his workshop.

Santos Warmth, Ramírez Clarity

His own plantilla and bracing reveal two lifelong influences, Luise Walker's 1924 Santos and a 1912 Manuel Ramírez. A 16 mm tornavoz adds projection, and the volume is tremendous for a traditionally made guitar. Engraved Rubner tuners and a slightly narrower 51.5 mm nut complete a unique and engaging instrument.

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".