2019 Bertrand Ligier SP/CSAR

This 2019 Bertrand Ligier is a classical guitar with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides, built in the Languedoc region of southern France, with a body design inspired by Paul Fischer, David Rubio and Simplicio.

Bertrand Ligier's New Body Design

We're very pleased to be working with this fine maker, and this is an impressive concert-level guitar in every regard. It features Bertrand's newest body design, based on many years of constant research. After studying several master guitars over the years, Bertrand focused on three makers in particular whom he greatly admires and who inspired this design: Paul Fischer, David Rubio and Francisco Simplicio. Of course, while the plantilla may be suggestive of these makers, it is unique to Ligier. The bracing of the top is also his newest, with five bars and an asymmetrical bar under the rosette. As with his previous instruments, this one has double sides - the inner layer being of spruce, which Bertrand chose for its lightweight quality and because it was often used for back and sides during the Romantic period (for example in the instruments of René Lacote). This makes the body stiffer yet still lightweight, which in turn helps direct more vibration to the soundboard. This improves projection (particularly in concert settings) and the depth and sturdiness of the basses, as well as giving more rounded and focused trebles. Most interestingly, the guitar body is built separately from the neck and the two parts are assembled at the end of the process, a method known as "French mounting". The resulting sound is beautifully lyrical, loose and open, even for a new spruce instrument.

Italian Alpine Spruce and CSA Rosewood

Ligier has not only become recognized for his great quality of sound, but also for his remarkable woodworking skills. The attention to detail found in his inlay work is second-to-none, rivaling the most skilled woodworkers in the trade, and his intricate and perfectly executed rosette designs have become a hallmark of his work. His pore-filling and French polish work have a mirror-like, perfectly consistent sheen over the entire instrument. This is a maker with a great sense of style combined with virtuosity in the delivery. Materials are also first-rate: a beautiful spruce soundboard from the Italian Alps and a stunning set of aged CSA rosewood for the back and sides that he obtained from Dominique Field's private stock. Tuners are Alessi with ebony buttons. Sound and looks are well matched - precise balance, supreme clarity between the voices, and a sophisticated tone with a very pronounced fundamental and highly controlled overtones. Incredibly satisfying on all counts, and a guitar we recommend to any player, from the advanced student to the accomplished professional.

Orfeo Magazine article on Bertrand Ligier

Bertrand Ligier and the French School

Based in southern France, Bertrand Ligier is considered one of the best makers of the new French generation. Since we have been working with him, his work has constantly evolved with each guitar to reach higher levels of craftsmanship and musicality that are now internationally recognized. His attention to aesthetics and his keen sense of sound place him in the tradition of the French school that begins with Robert Bouchet, followed by Daniel Friederich, Dominique Field, Jean-Noël Rohé and now Bertrand Ligier. Indeed, both Dominique Field and Jean-Noël Rohé have played an important role for Bertrand through their helpful advice and continuous support of his work for many years.

A Workshop in Connaux, near Avignon

Before turning to the guitar, Bertrand studied art history and then trained as a cabinet-maker, with apprenticeships in the south of France and in Spain. He works in Connaux, a village between Avignon, Nîmes and Uzès, in a former silkworm house that he renovated himself into his workshop. With a growing wait-list and increasing international demand, we are pleased to have US exclusivity with this fine maker, who provides us one instrument per year.