2012 Eric Sahlin CD/CSAR

This 2012 classical guitar by Eric Sahlin pairs Western red cedar with CSA rosewood; we followed its making through photos Eric sent us from his workshop.

Woods and Voice

Eric chose aged and gorgeous Central/South American (CSA) rosewood for the back and sides, paired with a Western red cedar soundboard. It sounds bright and punchy, with real depth and an evenly balanced voice in every register; overall the tone is full-bodied yet extremely clear.

Headstock, Rosette and Tie-Block

As always with Eric, the workmanship is phenomenal – the perfection of the craftsmanship almost requires a microscope to appreciate. A few elegant mother-of-pearl details in the rosette, headstock and tie-block lend the guitar its unique and beautiful aesthetic. It also has Rodgers tuners.

The "Twisted" Neck and Condition

Eric also adds a slight "twist" to the neck profile, which eases the stress on the left-hand wrist in the lower positions, allowing the player to keep a straighter, less "bent" wrist even when barring. It is one of the most ergonomically well thought-out designs we've seen.

Although a used guitar, it is in excellent condition – the soundboard was recently lightly repolished by German Vázquez Rubio to remove some wear, so the instrument is now in like-new condition.

Photos of Eric preparing materials for this guitar

Read more: Orfeo Magazine No. 10 – West Coast Luthiers

Eric Sahlin: American Classical Guitar Maker

Eric Sahlin is one of the great American luthiers who has achieved world-class status, with a waiting list of over a decade and significant demand in the US, Europe and Japan. Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, he is self-taught and builds in Valleyford, just outside the city.

From UC Santa Barbara to a Full-Time Workshop

His first exposure to the classical guitar came in his teens, when his brother took up the instrument – and with it came the great guitar recordings on his brother's Musical Heritage Society LPs. At UC Santa Barbara, with its strong classical guitar program, Eric decided in 1975, his first year, to build a guitar of his own: a love of woodworking since early childhood and an interest in acoustical physics made it seem like a wonderful adventure. He studied the books, bought his first woods that spring and finished the guitar that summer. By the time a second one was done, his career was decided.

He set up shop building custom furniture while honing his guitar making on the side, and by 1978/79 he was building guitars full-time – helped by a chance connection with George Dauphinais of the Dauphin Company, a mail-order business that marketed Eric's 7-, 8- and 10-string guitars as a less expensive alternative to the multi-string instruments then on offer.

Lutes, Then Classical Guitars Only

In the early 1980s a lutenist friend asked Eric for a lute. He enjoyed the project so much that he studied these instruments in depth and built various lute models alongside his guitars. By the end of the decade, with the guitar market strengthening and his reputation established, he turned exclusively to his first love, the classical guitar.

Players and Design

Sahlin guitars have been played by Scott Tennant, Andrew York, Ottmar Liebert (flamenco), Carsten Pedersen and other top players worldwide. They are known for precise, restrained mother-of-pearl trim and for Eric's innovative "twisted" fingerboard, which he talked about when Orfeo Magazine visited his Spokane-area workshop for its West Coast issue (No. 10, 2017).