Achim Hellenthal – 2022 “Santos Hernandez”

Description

Achim Hellenthal was born in 1964 in a small village on the edge of the Eifel, Germany. He grew up surrounded by music and began playing the guitar at 12. At 14, he got his first lesson on classical guitar. He was immediately captivated by the instrument’s tonal and polyphonic possibilities. This moment led him to study classical guitar at the Maastricht Conservatorium, where he participated in the masterclasses by David Russell and Costas Cotsiolis, to name a few.

In 1987 Achim ordered an instrument and had his first contact with Antonio Marin Montero, which inspired him to start building a guitar. Achim built his first instrument in 1995 with the help of a book by I. Sloane. He later attended the annual construction courses for historical plucked instruments on the Hessian Mosenberg. In 2011 he finally opened his workshop near the centre of Düren.

This particular guitar from 2022 was built in the style of Santos Hernandez. One can easily notice this through the rosette and headstock design. Furthermore, it has a beautiful-looking spruce soundboard and Santos rosewood, coated with the highest quality French polish. Acoustically this fine instrument does not disappoint. The brilliant and lively trebles, paired with deep, vintage-sounding basses, are a genuine reminiscence of an old guitar by Santos Hernandez. As a player himself, Achim truly knows how to build an instrument with superb playability.

Watch the presentation video of this particular guitar below, where you can find a lot of additional information about its playability and sound.