2018 Vladimir Druzhinin CD/AR

This 2018 Vladimir Druzhinin is a classical guitar with a cedar top and African rosewood back and sides, built near Moscow, Russia, from his early years working with GSI.

A Young Russian Maker of Exceptional Promise

We first met Vladimir during a visit to Russia, where we saw several of the leading young makers - and to us he showed exceptional promise. When we met again years later in Germany and tried his current work, we were remarkably impressed and immediately placed an order; each guitar he has sent since has confirmed it.

One look at this guitar shows Vladimir's tasteful, skillfully executed style - the classic rosette, the elegantly carved headstock and the beautiful choice of materials.

Torres Proportions, Lyrical Sound

His admiration for the old masters, above all Antonio de Torres, shows in the overall shape - the dimensions and plantilla. In the spirit of Torres it is lightly and efficiently built, with a focused, fast attack on every note; the sound has singing, lyrical trebles over smooth, lush yet firm basses, with excellent volume for any concert setting, solo or ensemble. We are very pleased to be working with this fine young maker as his exclusive representatives in the US, and look forward to many more of these great guitars.

Photos of this guitar taken during construction

Vladimir Druzhinin: From Physics to Guitar Making

Vladimir Druzhinin was born in 1983 in Novosibirsk, Russia, into a family of scientists. He earned his Bachelor's (2004) and Master's (2006) degrees in physics at Novosibirsk State University, specializing in accelerator physics, and worked at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics from 2002 to 2008. At the same time he studied the double bass at the Novosibirsk Music College and played in the local philharmonic big band, on the city's jazz scene and as a studio musician.

Timofey Tkach and the Moscow School

In 2010 Vladimir moved to Moscow, where he was accepted as an apprentice guitar maker by Timofey Tkach (1966–2026), considered the leading teacher of lutherie in Russia, and from 2011 he worked in the Liuteria workshop, a luthiers' union founded by Tkach. Today he builds in his own workshop in Sereda, outside Moscow. His focus is the classical Spanish school, which he approaches both historically and with a physicist's understanding of how sound is produced. GSI is his exclusive dealer in the USA.