2015 Hans van den Berg CD/IN

A 2015 classical guitar by South African luthier Hans van den Berg, with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides – his "Concert Classical Supreme", serial No. CCS044A.

In the videos above, Scott Morris and flutist Rik Noyce play Telemann's Sonata in A minor, and Jack Sanders gives a lesson on Carcassi's Etude No. 2, on this guitar.

Friederich Design, Kiaat Lining

Hans bases the plantilla and bracing very closely on Daniel Friederich. Like the French master he doubles the sides – here with kiaat, rather than mahogany, inside the Indian rosewood – which he feels greatly improves sustain. Friederich players, Eduardo Fernández among them, have noted a similarity of tone: silky, textured and rich, yet clear in every register.

African Woods

The look is entirely his own and draws on African influences: an African blackwood head veneer with kiaat inlays, figured kiaat purfling and tie block, blackwood bindings and back strip, and a rosette of figured kiaat, ebony and maple with abalone dots. It has substantial power and a very smooth neck and easy action.

Hans van den Berg: Classical Guitar Maker in South Africa

Hans van den Berg was born in Orkney, South Africa, on March 1, 1960. A design draughtsman who loved woodworking, he discovered guitar making through a book given to him by his sister, a guitar teacher, and built his first guitar in 1996. In 2007 he built a workshop beside his house in Meyerton, and after 18 years of building in his spare time he became a full-time luthier.

Friederich and Romanillos Models

Hans built his early guitars after José Romanillos for spruce and Daniel Friederich for cedar, using Spanish construction throughout. Like Friederich he doubles the sides, laminating rosewood and kiaat, and since 2008 he has also built a popular double-top model. His look is his own, with exotic African woods inlaid in parallel grain.