2017 Richard Howell SP/MP

Year	2017
Top	Spruce
Back & Sides	Maple
Scale Length	650 mm
Nut width	51 mm
Finish	French Polish
Country	Australia
Luthier	Richard Howell

This guitar is no longer available in our inventory. If it interests you, click the ”notify me when available” button to be notified in the event that we re-acquire this guitar for re-sale.

The back center seam of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

Closeup detail of the rosette of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

The back and sides of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

The wing of the bridge with mother-of-pearl inlay of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

The headstock and tuning machines of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

The heel, back binding and purfling of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

The front of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

The side of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

The back of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

The rosette of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

The headstock of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

The label of a 2017 Richard Howell classical guitar made of spruce and maple

Description

This 2017 Richard Howell No. 483 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and Bosnian birdseye maple back and sides, made in Mornington, Victoria, Australia.

A Torres/Hauser-Style Richard Howell

Richard usually follows the basic Fleta design, with 9 fans, 2 upper harmonic bars and 2 lower harmonic bars. This guitar is the first we've ever seen from him with a more Torres/Hauser-style bracing: 1 lower harmonic bar, 7 fans and a bridge patch. The mother-of-pearl inlays in the wings of the bridge are a decorative "tip of the hat" to Torres as well.

Birdseye Maple – a First from Richard Howell

This is also the first maple guitar we've ever seen from Richard (to be precise, Bosnian birdseye maple), even though we've been dealing in his instruments for over 40 years! It is by far the most unique, and one of the most beautiful, we've seen from him – and it lives up to the standard of his best work, with one of the most beautiful finishes in the world.

The Richard Howell Sound

It has the Richard Howell sound: a deep, earthy and harmonically rich quality of tone, but with perfect separation between voices and great balance.

Condition

This guitar is in amazing, practically "like new" condition. Overall a stunning instrument in every way – we were delighted to have it!

Background

Richard Howell: From Surrey to Victoria, Australia

Richard Howell was born in Surrey, England, and grew up around music – his father was a musical director in London. He fell in love with the guitar as a boy and made his first guitar in 1966. After moving to Australia in 1972 he began making guitars seriously, starting with student models for Jason Waldron of the Adelaide Spanish Guitar Centre. He works alone, mainly with traditional hand tools and finishes, in a small workshop behind his house in Mornington, Victoria.

In the Tradition of Ignacio Fleta

We consider Richard Howell to be the best traditional guitar maker in Australia. He studied the work of Hauser and Hernández y Aguado, but above all of Ignacio Fleta, and his guitars are very inspired by Fleta – yet after years of comparing them to the original Fletas we've had, one can see that he has clearly established his own style and characteristics. Using almost no power tools, he produces one of the most beautiful finishes in the world: warm and lustrous, and very similar to Fleta's violin-style varnish.

Richard Howell and GSI

Richard was the very first luthier GSI took on for US representation when we opened our doors in 1983, so we have a longstanding fondness for his instruments.