Daniel Friederich – 1965 Arpege

Description

Daniel Friederich was born on the sixteenth of January 1932. Although having a strong wish to play the guitar, he had to face a shortage of money. However, at the age of 23, Friederich solved this dilemma by building his first guitar himself: a copy of a Simplicio guitar. Daniel Friederich was helped by his guitar teacher Christian Aubin at the beginning around 1955. After having built tools and gathered some guitar-making experiences, Daniel Friederich showed his fifteenth guitar to Robert Bouchet. Ever since, R. Bouchet inspired his work. He personally developed some ideas of R. Bouchet during his career. For decades, Daniel Friederich has been one of the most important active luthiers in the world. In 2015, he stopped building guitars and sold all his tools. He is now definitely one of the most respected and admired luthiers of guitar history.

Daniel Friederich built this spruce-top guitar in 1965. It is lightly built and definitely one of the most responsive Daniel Friederich guitars we have ever had. Actually, Daniel Friederich’s Arpège and Récital models were very much Torres based, inspired by the 1867 Antonio de Torres guitar owned by Christian Aubin, Daniel Friederich’s teacher and friend. This Arpège model shows all signs of a fantastic concert guitar and is by no means a student model. Built with the most wonderful materials, spruce, and Brazilian rosewood, it shines in simplicity and elegance. The neck is pretty on the thin side, well rounded, and provides unparalleled comfort. Overall, the condition of this guitar is fantastic as it only has a perfectly repaired crack on the back, and some familiar playing marks. Everything about this instrument is original, making it a true highlight for a real Daniel Friederich fan. In our opinion, these Torres-inspired Daniel Friederich models are still not valued at what they are worth. Head up to the sound sample to understand why we think they rank among the best spruce top guitars ever built.