2023 Angela Waltner "Anima" SP/MP

Angela Waltner is possibly the most academically credentialed luthier we've ever met - one look at her CV is dizzying in its breadth and scope, bridging the historical study of the guitar over the eras (including study of French Romantic guitars and the 20th century guitar in Germany - from the Markneukirchen school surrounding the work of Weissgberber to the Internationale Gitarrenvereinigung in Munich), to the scientific understanding and analysis of acoustical research. And of course she puts all of this knowledge into practical application as a luthier - her thirst for pushing the boundaries through constant experimentation has become distilled in three distinct models that have their own set of specifications - both structural as well as aesthetic.

This guitar we have is her most recent model, called the "Anima", which she continues to develop with each instrument she builds. Her goal with this model is to achieve the extremely flexible response and the richly colorful sound of a Torres guitar. However, she is also influenced by the study of Spanish guitar making before Torres thanks to a reproduction she did of a guitar by Louis Panormo. She believes this combination opens up a sound space extending back to the Spanish Renaissance which makes it very suitable for early music - but it is above all a modern instrument of our time. For this guitar, she changed a few small details in the construction and design including the position of the fan braces and slightly shallower sides. It must be said that it is not possible to produce a bad sounding note anywhere on this instrument - from the lowest note to the highest, this instrument has a consistent, balanced and beautiful quality of sound across the entire register. The attack is immediate with plump, overtone-rich content in every note. Although a new guitar, it has a deep, relaxed feel to it, making it very comfortable and easy to play.

Her materials are also extremely well-selected and prepared. Her spruce top is a lightweight cut, covered in gorgeous bearclaw. The maple for the back and sides shows has some striking some birds-eye markings, really exquisite. The myrre primer is slightly darker than her normal treatment, but it suits the guitar beautifully with great depth and warmth. Aesthetically, this model has an immediately striking look with a bridge shape and rosette design inspired by lutes - the rosette itself being meticulously "wood-chipped" yielding a three-dimensional relief reminiscent of some of the rosettes of Jeffrey Elliott. The bridge is extremely interesting, not just for its non-rectangular shape but also for an incredibly simple system to achieve perfect intonation - the saddle is broken into 3 pieces that do not rest in a saddle slot but rather slide around a flat surface with very easy manipulation (even with the strings at tension) to give each string its own independent length for extremely precise tuning. See in the image gallery for more information on this "FABS" system ("Free Adjustable Bridge System").

This is a tremendous instrument, the result of enormous thought, research and artistic sensitivity. We are absolutely thrilled to have this instrument here - especially knowing that Angela only builds 4 instruments per year. A rare treat and we are pleased with its spectacular quality of sound, refined craftsmanship and unique but tasteful aesthetic.

Photos of this guitar being built

Orfeo Magazine #14 - Markneukirchen Special