2016 Vladimir Druzhinin CD/AR

This 2016 Vladimir Druzhinin is a classical guitar with a cedar top and African rosewood back and sides, built near Moscow, Russia, the very first Druzhinin guitar to come to GSI.

Our First Guitar from Vladimir Druzhinin

Our story with Vladimir began on a visit to Russia, where among the leading young makers he struck us as exceptionally promising. Years later, meeting again in Germany, we tested his work, were remarkably impressed and ordered immediately - and we have continued to marvel at every guitar since.

The style is tasteful and skillfully executed, as one look shows - from his classic rosette and elegantly carved headstock to the beautiful selection of materials.

Sound and Condition

As so often with Vladimir, the shape - dimensions, plantilla - pays tribute to the masters of the past, Torres above all. True to Torres, the build is light and efficient, the attack focused and fast; the trebles are singing and lyrical, the basses smooth, lush yet firm, and the volume excellent in any concert setting. We are very pleased to be working with this fine young maker as his exclusive representatives in the US.

Note: the photos show this guitar as it was when new in 2016. It is currently in nearly the same condition, with only very minor signs of prior use, and has been fitted with upgraded Alessi tuning machines.

Photos of this guitar taken during construction

Vladimir Druzhinin: From Physics to Guitar Making

Vladimir Druzhinin was born in 1983 in Novosibirsk, Russia, into a family of scientists. He earned his Bachelor's (2004) and Master's (2006) degrees in physics at Novosibirsk State University, specializing in accelerator physics, and worked at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics from 2002 to 2008. At the same time he studied the double bass at the Novosibirsk Music College and played in the local philharmonic big band, on the city's jazz scene and as a studio musician.

Timofey Tkach and the Moscow School

In 2010 Vladimir moved to Moscow, where he was accepted as an apprentice guitar maker by Timofey Tkach (1966–2026), considered the leading teacher of lutherie in Russia, and from 2011 he worked in the Liuteria workshop, a luthiers' union founded by Tkach. Today he builds in his own workshop in Sereda, outside Moscow. His focus is the classical Spanish school, which he approaches both historically and with a physicist's understanding of how sound is produced. GSI is his exclusive dealer in the USA.