2015 Otto Vowinkel SP/CSAR

This 2015 Otto Vowinkel is a concert classical guitar with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides, made by hand in his workshop in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; George Sakellariou and Pardy Minassian play it in the videos above.

An Ultra-Responsive Concert Guitar

This is a fantastic concert instrument by Otto, made in 2015 – the lightest we had seen when it arrived, probably thanks to his slightly more compact body size. Incredibly easy to play, it is also ultra-responsive and very powerful.

Dramatic CSA Rosewood

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

Amsterdam Details: Rosette and Headstock

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). These details are purely aesthetic, but they are charming, and they give the guitar a sense of where it comes from.

Tone and Condition

A traditional French polish of shellac, done with great care, gives the instrument a beautiful luster. Tuners are Graf. From the slightly more compact body comes huge volume with little right-hand effort; the tone is plump and lively – very lyrical and beautiful at the same time. We thought it was his best-sounding model to date when it came to us. Although a used guitar, there is only modest wear in the finish and two dings behind the bridge, but no cracks or repairs.

In the Hands of Concert Artists

Among the concert and recording artists who have played Otto’s guitars are Denis Azabagic, Esther Steenbergen and the Amsterdam Guitar Trio. Ben Verdery has performed in concert on a Vowinkel baritone. They are also played by competition winners – Tariq Harb, who took 1st prize at the 2011 Barrios World Wide Web Competition and the 2011 Montreal International Classical Guitar Competition; Chia-Wei Lin of Taiwan, winner of the Singapore International Guitar Competition; and Sanel Redzic from Bosnia, who won in Vienna and Oberhausen with a cedar Vowinkel.

Videos

In the videos above, George Sakellariou plays Ernesto Nazareth’s “Coração Que Sente” and Pardy Minassian plays Komitas’s “Ounabi” on this guitar, and the Puerta-Vázquez Duo plays the “Gagliarda” from Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s “Appunti” on Vowinkel and Tejeda guitars.

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.