2021 Bertrand Ligier CD/IN

This 2021 Bertrand Ligier is a classical guitar with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides, built in the Languedoc region of southern France, made after eleven spruce-top guitars for GSI.

A New Direction in Cedar

We're very pleased to be working with this fine maker, and this is an impressive concert-level guitar in every regard. Like every guitar we receive from him, this one has his latest body design, built on many years of constant research. Always seeking to improve, Bertrand has again made slight modifications to give it more aesthetic balance - the proportions of the headstock and purflings have been adjusted accordingly as well. At the bridge, the tie block is a subtle homage to Francisco Simplicio, one of his influences - but done in Bertrand's own way, with the central part in relief, almost like a carved jewel. Although "new" in many ways, the guitar is still clearly in the style of the French school: austere and complex, yet understated.

Spanish Method and Double Sides

Soundwise, Bertrand's quest is to maximally increase the acoustic capabilities of his instruments while maintaining a beautiful quality of sound. In late 2019 he left the French mounting technique for the Spanish method, in an effort to improve the relationship between the neck and body - particularly the soundboard. It was a difficult technical decision for him because it required changing several details of his building process, including the creation of new moulds. These newer guitars are more balanced, with strong and lyrical basses and an especially improved first string. The sound remains as classy as before, but with perhaps a bit more old-world charm. The bracing of the top has five bars and an asymmetrical bar under the rosette. The sides are doubled, as always with Bertrand - the inside layer is 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). A stiffer yet still lightweight body sends more of the vibration into the soundboard, improving projection in concert settings and giving deeper, sturdier basses and more rounded, focused trebles.

Western Red Cedar and a Four-Piece Rosewood Back

Bertrand is known not only for his quality of sound but also for his remarkable woodworking. His inlay work shows an attention to detail that is second-to-none, and his intricate, perfectly executed rosettes have become a hallmark. The pore-filling and French polish have a mirror-like sheen that is perfectly consistent over the whole guitar - a maker with a great sense of style and real virtuosity in the delivery. Materials are also first-rate, with a beautiful Western red cedar soundboard (our first from him) and an exquisite four-piece back of Indian rosewood. Tuners are Alessi H1 with ebony buttons. And it sounds as good as it looks - it has precise balance and supreme clarity between voices, with a sophisticated voice: a very pronounced fundamental and highly controlled overtones. Overall an incredibly satisfying instrument on all counts, and we recommend his guitars to players of any level, from the advanced student to accomplished professionals.

Photos of this guitar taken during construction

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.