2026 Otto Vowinkel "2a" SP/MP

This 2026 Otto Vowinkel “2a” is a classical guitar with a spruce top and maple back and sides, built in Barcelona by Antonio Picado to Otto Vowinkel’s design – a “2a” with maple back and sides.

A Maple “2a”

Otto Vowinkel of Amsterdam and Antonio Picado of Barcelona collaborated on this model, with its rosette of concentric rings and unique headstock shape. This one pairs a spruce top with maple back and sides.

Sound and Playability

It is light, very penetrating and easy to play; the volume is great, with a sharp attack and excellent penetration – one of the best spruce-top choices 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.