2019 Bastien Burlot "Alkemia-Chartres" SP/IN

A 2019 "Alkemia-Chartres" classical guitar by French luthier Bastien Burlot, with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides – the first guitar in his "Alkemia" series inspired by the great cathedrals of France.

Chartres Cathedral in the Rosette

The series began with Chartres Cathedral, about an hour from Paris by train. The mosaic designs in the rosette are taken directly from the cathedral's stained-glass windows, and the label carries the labyrinth from the floor of the nave, a famous gathering place for pilgrims from around the world, who walk it with heads bowed in reverence.

A Portal into Music

For Bastien, these cathedrals are "bridges between the profane, material world and a more sacred one," and each "Alkemia" guitar is meant as a portal through which the player enters the sublime and mysterious world of music. Fit and finish are extremely clean, and the sound and expressive qualities are as impressive as the design.

Photos of this guitar taken during construction

Read more: Orfeo Magazine No. 21 – The New French Generation (with a feature on Bastien Burlot)

Bastien Burlot: From the Paris Conservatoire to the Workbench

Bastien Burlot is a French classical guitar maker who works in Aubazine, in the Corrèze. A guitarist first, he studied at the Conservatory of Lille and then in Roland Dyens' class at the Paris Conservatoire, where he built his first guitar during an internship in a luthier's workshop. He taught guitar for seven years while building at home, and in 2009, with some 30 instruments behind him, he became a full-time luthier.

The "Alkemia" Cathedral Guitars

Known at first for modern designs – his "Maestro hf" model, with a soundhole in the side, was built for eight years – Bastien has built for Roland Dyens and Thomas Viloteau. His "Alkemia" guitars combine traditional lutherie, studied through masters such as Torres and Hauser, with the symbolism and sacred geometry of the great French cathedrals. He was featured in Orfeo Magazine No. 21, on the new French generation.