2020 Dominik Wurth SP/IN

Of his work, he cites Antonio de Torres as his greatest influence and the first guitars he built for us were built on the basic Torres plan - seven fan struts in a domed top and a tunneled lower cross bar (below the soundhole) where the two outer struts run through. Other early influences include Daniel Friederich and Antonio Marin Montero. It was at this point in his development that his style started to become more personal as a result of studying the instruments other great makers from the past. Indeed Dominik came to GSI shortly after we acquired the Cleveland collection in 2015 so he could assess and evaluate a large number of fine instruments all at once. This led Dominik to employ a few new ideas in search of a more modern sound for his classical guitars to distinguish them from his traditional Torres models with their lush, loose, warm, and 'Old World' sound. One of these techniques involved constructing the sides using three thin layers of wood. The result of this process added more power to the whole guitar, similar to the widely accepted style of double-sided construction used by many luthiers but with the advantage less overall weight. He was so impressed with the results from the very first guitar he tried this on, that all subsequent guitars have used this same method. This guitar also features a compensated nut, another new development from this period, providing improved intonation, especially in the lower registers. To us, this guitar has excellent responsiveness in all registers and a bigger, more robust sound all around with balance and excellent intonation. As with all his instruments, this guitar plays easy, has immediate attack with a lively, full sound behind it and is just overall a joy to play. Although used, this guitar is in excellent condition with no damage or repairs, only some wear in the finish. Fantastic instrument in every regard.

Born near Freiburg, Germany Dominik Wurth spent his childhood in a small rural village at the foot of the Black Forest. In his earlier years, he learned to make guitars with the aid of books and from Sascha Nowak, who taught Dominik the basic techniques of traditional of guitar making. As Dominik progressed he eventually enrolled at Zwickau University, which is the worlds only university offering the study of stringed instruments. He spent several years in the south of Spain, in a small Spanish village in the Alpujarras, near Granada where he interned with Andrés D. Marvi and then opened his own shop. Several years ago, he relocated back to Germany where he has been building guitars full time.