2013 Otto Vowinkel CD/CSAR

This 2013 Otto Vowinkel is a concert classical guitar with a cedar top and CSA rosewood back and sides, made by hand in his workshop in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; photos taken during its construction are linked below.

Otto Vowinkel’s Concert Model

When it was made, this guitar had some new and improved design features – and it was among the lightest of Otto’s guitars we had seen, probably thanks to his slightly more compact body size. The result is a guitar that is incredibly easy to play, ultra-responsive and very powerful.

Cedar over Aged Rosewood

The extremely dramatic, aged rosewood used here is a wonderful complement to the great workmanship.

Rosette, Headstock and the “Winch”

Fans of Vowinkel will recognize his rosette, with herringbone in the purfling surrounding the mosaic (the motif of Amsterdam’s city flag). Its headstock is carved in the style of the canal house in Amsterdam where his workshop is, and the MOP dot at the top represents a “winch” – the hook-and-pulley system seen on Amsterdam’s canal houses, used to hoist furniture and goods through the large windows because the staircases inside are narrow and steep (see photo). Although purely aesthetic, these are charming, “extra” details that give the instrument a place of origin.

Shellac Finish and Tone

Otto French polishes his guitars in shellac by the traditional method, with great care, and the finish gives this one a beautiful luster. Tuners are Graf. The compact body gives huge volume production with little right-hand effort and a plump, lively quality of tone – very lyrical, and beautiful at the same time. In our opinion at the time, it was his best-sounding model so far.

Vowinkel Players

Among the concert and recording artists who have played Otto’s guitars are Denis Azabagic, Esther Steenbergen and the Amsterdam Guitar Trio. In concert, Ben Verdery has played one of Otto’s baritone guitars. Tariq Harb – winner of the 2011 Barrios World Wide Web Competition and the 2011 Montreal International Classical Guitar Competition – is one of several competition winners who play them, along with Chia-Wei Lin, a Taiwanese guitarist who took 1st prize in Singapore, and Sanel Redzic, a young Bosnian guitarist who won in Vienna and Oberhausen with a cedar Vowinkel.

Photos taken during this guitar’s construction

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.