2020 Otto Vowinkel "2a 640" CD/IN

This 2020 Otto Vowinkel “2a 640” is a classical guitar with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides, built in Barcelona by Antonio Picado to Otto Vowinkel’s design – the 640mm version of his “2a”.

A Shorter-Scale “2a”

This model has a slightly smaller scale length of 640mm for the player looking to avoid the bigger stretches required on standard-sized guitars. It came about through the collaboration of Otto Vowinkel of Amsterdam and Antonio Picado of Barcelona, and it has a rosette of concentric rings and a unique headstock shape.

Cedar Sound

The cedar top gives it a lot of sustain and warmth, and the volume is great. Light in weight, very penetrating and easy to play, it is a fine cedar-top choice for the serious student or beginning performer.

Note: Stock photos may be used for this model listing. The exact guitar pictured may no longer be available, and may differ slightly from current inventory. Please contact us with any questions.

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.