2023 Thomas Dauge SP/IN

This 2023 Thomas Dauge is a classical guitar with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides from the Bordeaux region of France - the first guitar he built for GSI.

Old Spanish Masters, New French School

Like his other concert guitars, it blends the old Spanish masters - Thomas' first inspiration - with features of the French school, especially its younger generation. A series of mahogany strips inside the sides (similar to Dominique Field's approach), 3 tall horizontal back braces, two longitudinal braces and a wide, thick center brace make the box sturdier and stiffer, if slightly heavier, so that more of the vibration is directed to the soundboard - improving volume and influencing the character of the sound.

Neck, Bridge and Treble Stiffener

Thomas has also (like Daniel Friederich) moved the bridge proportionally closer to the soundhole, which places the 12th fret a few millimeters above the neck-to-body joint - noticeably easier to play there - and leaves room for a full 19th fret under all 6 strings. His modified 7-fan bracing supports this bridge position, together with his own take on the Spanish "treble stiffener": an extra brace below the 3 treble fans in addition to the usual slanted brace under the lower harmonic bar, shortening those fans from both ends.

Sound and a Hefty D-Shaped Neck

The sound is absolutely amazing, with a big, almost "husky" firmness to every note that is rich in overtones. Those overtones are packed densely and evenly within each note across the register rather than scattering and blurring the fundamental, so every note keeps great clarity - and thanks to the excellent sustain and clear separation, legato playing is a breeze. For players who like a heftier D-shaped neck, this guitar fits the left hand like a glove. The right hand will be happy as well - the guitar has great dynamic range and responds beautifully to the slightest adjustments in hand position and attack. Sound- and playability-wise, this is a strong concert guitar for any professional setting, solo or ensemble, in any venue regardless of size. Meticulously built with great class and style from well-selected and well-cut materials, it combines great lyrical beauty with a big, robust sound to satisfy the needs of any modern concert and recording artist.

Photos of this guitar taken during construction

Orfeo Magazine article on Thomas Dauge

Thomas Dauge: From Libourne to the French School

Thomas Dauge was born in 1979 in Libourne, a small town in the Bordeaux region of southwest France. As a teenager he became passionate about music and the guitar in particular, and in 1998 he began building his own instruments. His first attempts were folk and gypsy jazz guitars, but he very quickly moved towards classical and flamenco guitars, and eventually decided to specialize exclusively in classical guitars. He opened his workshop in 2006 after 8 years of self-taught guitar making - during these years he studied in depth the work of Daniel Friederich in the musical acoustics laboratory in Paris. Today he works in Lugon-et-l'Île-du-Carnay, near Libourne, and GSI is his exclusive dealer in the USA.

Spanish Roots, French Innovation

His first instruments were essentially Spanish-inspired (Torres, Santos Hernández, Miguel Rodríguez), but he gradually worked towards a more personal style influenced by developments pioneered by the French school. Although he is now undoubtedly part of the new generation of French makers, he continues to draw on his experience and knowledge of the old Spanish masters he admires so greatly, and the fusion of these two worlds gives his guitars a unique place in international guitar making today.

Thomas cites restoration work as a deep influence on his style. He has repaired guitars by many historically important luthiers (including Friederich, Ignacio Fleta, Manuel Ramírez and Miguel Rodríguez), making technical records of each for his own analysis - which has reinforced both his conviction about the universals of good guitar making and his understanding of how each maker's particulars shape a personal style.

Woods, Measurements and Musicians

Thomas chooses his woods with the greatest care, according to cut, density, flexibility and texture, and adapts the flexibility of the bracing to each soundboard. For him, one of the essential points is good management of the structural stresses on the soundboard, and the records he keeps of his measurements and their results have allowed him to develop, empirically, a very personal sound - his main goals being maximum musicality, balance, sustain and polyphonic separation. He values artistic exchanges with guitarists as an essential part of his development, and counts many professional players among his clients, including concert artists Fernando Millet and Aurélien Colas.