Building a Steelstring Guitar

From the raw wood to the finished guitar we show photos of the building process of a mini Jumbo steel string guitar.

The wood: So unremarkable, almost featureless. And yet from these woods master guitars will be built.

Neck: The necks are cut, the channel for the trussrod is milled

Top: The Sitka tops are cut into a rough shape...

Neck: The neckwidth is fixed, the ledge for the top is milled

Top: The soundhole rosette is being inserted.

X-Bracing: The bracing is made in three consecutive operations. The x-bracing is the last to be glued.

Back: The Back Joint Interior Reinforcement is glued to the back...

Back: The back braces fit into the reinforcement brace.

Neck: The heel is sawed in a rough shape.

Back: The bracing on the back is finished.

Top: The neck is glued to the top. Meanwhile, a finish has been applied to the part of the heel which sits inside the guitar.

Sides: The sides are connected with the tailblock...

Top: As an inside lining we use single blocks.

Sides: The backbracing is fitted into the linings.

Back: The guitar is ready for glueing the back.

"Raw" guitar: Now it looks almost like a guitar.

Bindings: The ledge for the binding has been cut.

Bindings: The left top binding is glued. Meanwhile the right side is protected by a cardboard strip.

Bindings: After the binding is glued, it is held in place with ropes while it dries.

Bindings: This is how it looks after the rope is removed and the binding is sanded down to the top level.

Fingerboard: The fingerboard is applied to the neck.

Fingerboard: The inlay "25" is fit into the cutout.

Bindings: Now the same procedure as for the top is accomplished for the back bindings.

Neck: Waiting for the fingerboards to be straightened.

Neck: The transition area from the peghead to the back of the neck is carved.

Neck: The fingerboards are straightened.

Finishing: The instruments are now ready for finishing. The fretboard and the place for the bridge are masked with tape, the soundhole is clogged with paper, in order to prevent the lacquer from going inside.

Finishing: Each layer of NC lacquer (10 layers) is sanded after drying.

Bridge: The top is finished except for the place for the bridge.

Fingerboard: The top nut is cut to appropriate length.

Fingerboard: The slot for the top nut is prepared.

Beautiful

30. October 2020

The guitar has arrived. It feels light as a feather and perfectly setup! Many thanks, a wonderful sound...

Classic Line I

29. September 2020

The guitar arrived today and I am totally enthusiastic and satisfied. Thanks for the great instrument and see you next time! :)

PT 69

18. September 2020

I equipped the PT 69 with a new set of strings. I decided to use a set of 12 Thomastik Jazz Swing Flat Wound.

The interaction of your brilliant sounding guitar with the smooth sound of the flat strings results in a combination that inspires me tonally. Definitely give it a try.

Primera

20. August 2020

The guitar arrived today...and it is a real dream. So powerful and delicate and long lasting melodious sound. I enjoy playing it very much. Beautiful.

Many, many thanks. I am very happy and grateful to have acquired your last 63 Primera.

Guitar

21. July 2020

I would like to thank you and your former apprentice very much for the guitar.

The guitar has a very good playability, optimal saddle width and string action.
Furthermore, the frets have exactly the right dimensions and size. This is very important.

I also really like the sound very much.
Nice bright, but not too bright either. Just right.

Top performance

6. May 2020

The guitar is truly a masterpiece.
It gives me a lot of pleasure!

Guitar local woods

14. December 2019

Yesterday I could finally get my guitar - and I am thrilled!
Thank you for your craftsmanship, which absolutely deserves this title! Simply wonderful, how the grain of the wood comes through everywhere.

PT 69 nickel-free

26. November 2019

The guitar sounds simply great and no problems with the allergy, so I am very satisfied :) Thanks again for the great guitar!

My IQ :)

24. November 2019

... I wanted to let you know that I am now very happy with my IQ. It has become clear, and still does, that it is a wonderful instrument, sounds really unbelievably beautiful, and also meets high standards.

Ambition

9. November 2019

... wanted to send you a photo of me and your still wonderful guitar.

Acoustic Bass

29. October 2019

Hello, the bass has finally arrived 😊 great work thank you very much, I am very satisfied... Thanks again and keep up the good work...

IQ Tamarind

8. October 2019

A very beautiful, simple but nevertheless extraordinary instrument. Perfect craftsmanship!

Alegra

2. September 2019

Thank you very much for the Alegra, a very wonderful instrument that immediately shows the love for detail. To play on this guitar is an experience. Your guitar can conjure, can tell fairy tales, can sing. It can do everything you could ever wish for. A real enrichment.

The guitar has a sound pattern that is unparalleled. The music becomes something completely new. Touching this guitar is a pleasure in itself. I would like to congratulate you and thank you for building such a wonderful instrument.

Classic Line Pro

11. March 2019

... I bought a guitar from you two weeks ago. Mr. Ortner advised me very nicely. The guitar, with which I am very satisfied, was made by him.
I wanted to bring him a small gift and would like to know if he would be happy about a nice single malt.

Primera

22. December 2018

... I would like to thank you for the wonderful guitar. A good instrument inspires more every day, that's exactly what this guitar does.

Ukulele

21. December 2018

The ukulele arrived yesterday. I have only briefly examined and played it, but so far I can already say: I am 100% satisfied with the instrument - I rarely experience something like this even on high quality instruments. So thank you very much already! I will soon report a bit more about it and probably commission the next one.

IQ Bass

28. September 2018

Great! Really, just terrific and amazing! It was worth the waiting. I could not have imagined last December that I would have had such a positive experience. What a sound, basses all balanced, equally loud! It's a lot of fun to play with.

Yesterday I had my first rehearsal with the IQ-Bass and it got attention with its appearance and actually more when playing and right at the end via the PA. Everyone was enthusiastic about the defined sound and the workmanship.

I would like to send a big thank you to you and actually to everyone who was involved in building the bass.

Primera

6. June 2018

I played the new guitar today for the first time and I am very pleased in every way. Thank you again for your good work. I will be happy to recommend your workshop to anyone, anytime.

Primera Custom

28. May 2018

After a few months with my Primera Custom I would not want to miss it anymore!

Thanks again for the great instrument!

Double Fun

6. April 2018

Your Double Fun guitar is absolutely brilliant!

Classic Crossover

25. February 2018

The first concert with my (thank you!!!) new N°1 was a great success! A musician colleague, who knows me for a long time, put it this way: The best Burger ever. Of course he also meant the guitar. More possibilities in dynamics, the sound slightly cross, powerful, loud and also quietly stable with plenty of sustain .. Yesterday Ian Melrose and Kerstin Blodig were with me, also to listen to the guitar. They were also surprised, are pleased and think that it suits me well.

Classic Pro Multiscale

5. February 2018

... the guitar is still a dream come true.

IQ - Jumbo Steel String Guitar

2. February 2018

This was a trip that will give me an infinite number of moving moments! Hour by hour I will grow together with IQ and become familiar with it. It is going to be good!
Thanks for this masterpiece of craftsmanship!

Ambition Fingerstyle

17. September 2017

I still have great fun with the instrument and play it almost every day. I have not regretted buying it for a second.

Estudio 62 cm Scale Length

25. July 2017

... yes, this is the art of craftsmanship ! The guitar I had up until now is a can of ravioli :-) What a sound, what a wood for the top ! Clear, balanced, charming but without sauce, with contours - "wham"- power ... and swing and sing :-), vibrates with musicality, LIVES !!! and revives.

Great !!!!! respect !! Thank you very much

Bass Guitar

1. May 2017

... the bass keeps on inspiring. Wednesday at rehearsal a player who didn't know it yet kept looking at me in amazement. Afterwards I found out that she was totally enthusiastic about this great new sound in the orchestra (and as I said, we always had a double bass guitar, but nothing like this one). This is still a great job. I play it every day over all registers so that the Spruce top can open up its full range of tonal variety, and I think it is getting better and better.

Ambition Parlour

23. February 2017

... thank you very much for the repair of my guitar and the included humidifier. I have just played the guitar very extensively with great pleasure and have the impression that it sounds fuller and more balanced than before your repair. I am also very happy that the soundboard is almost unaffected.

I think it's great that you did this repair as a gesture of goodwill, although the damage may have been caused by my not quite proper handling of this fine instrument. I see that I still have to learn how to handle this fine guitar properly (not only when playing it).

I wish you much joy with your craft and the construction of many more of your so beautiful instruments.

Ambition Jumbo 10 Strings

7. August 2020

... thank you so much for the excellent work on the custom job. Since I picked up the guitar last week, I have been able to work intensively on it. The playability is excellent ... Intonation is also decent, a special piece ... I very much hope that more musicians will be enthusiastic about this instrument.

All Testimonials