Workshop
Today apparently everything can be ordered by mouse click, delivered the next day and duplicated any number of times. Therefore it is always very special for me to choose some individual wood and make a beautiful piece. It needs many hours of work, in return it is a unique classical guitar.
I only use air-dried wood that is at least ten years old, some even 20 or more.
Like a membrane, the soundboard must be able to amplify and radiate the vibrations of the strings in a balanced way.
For this purpose the top is worked to different thicknesses depending on the type of wood and strength, and stiffened with a bracing inside to withstand the tension of the strings.
I use different bracings and materials to stiffen the soundboard. The photo shows the bracing of a Kasha guitar.
I make most rosettes individually for each guitar.
I like to use wood scraps from the back or sides, which harmonize perfectly with the entire guitar.
Although this is not about the sound of the guitar, the rosette contributes significantly to the overall appearance of the instrument.
In addition to the appearance of the guitar, the binding also serves to protect the edge of the body.
To fix the binding and purfling (different colored narrow strips of wood) at the body, I glue them at a rabbet along the edge and wrap them with a cord.
The varnish should be as thin as possible, so as not to prevent the instrument from vibrating, but at the same time protect the wood.
Shellac is obtained from the secretion of the Asian lac bug and dissolved in alcohol.
For French polishing I rub the shellac by a piece of cloth, filled with cotton wool, in many thin layers onto the wood.
Ecological Sustainability
The responsible use of natural resources, especially wood as a raw material, is very important to me.
The protection of the rainforests and the use of tropical wood create a particular area of conflict.
I did research and estimated how much tropical wood I use for my guitars. I came to consumption of about five tropical trees for my entire life´s work.
With it I do not want to downplay the topic. The preservation of nature and especially of tropical habitats is very important to me. The diversity of species, which I could admire on journeys in tropical forests, fascinates me very much.
Therefore I want to contribute to tropical rainforest preservation through a donation to PRIMAKLIMA e. V. For each guitar I sell, five trees will be planted.
If preserving the rainforests is also important to you, please feel free to join.
All tropical woods in my stock are registered at the Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart (protection of species) and if necessary you will get a CITES certificate for your new instrument.
Another aspect of sustainability is energy consumption. I purchase 100% green electricity from climate-friendly renewable energies from the Elektrizitätswerken Schönau, both privately and for the workshop.
Last but not least, when you buy an Eichert guitar, you are investing in a durable product that will give you many years of enjoyment.
The Luthier
- 1972 - born in Greiz and raised in Elsterberg (Saxony)
- 1988 - Start of a guitar making apprenticeship in Markneukirchen (Vogtland).
- 1990 - Journeyman examination passed with distinction
- 1990 - 1994 - Studies at the Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau (FH) - course of studies musical instrument making Markneukirchen in the subject plucked instrument making.
- 1994 - Completion of studies as a "Diplom-Musikinstrumentenbauer (FH)"
- 1994 - Successful examination for the master craftsman’s certificate by the Chamber of Crafts in Chemnitz
- 1994 - Employment at the company „Hanika-Guitars“ in Baiersdorf (Germany)
- 1996 - Opening of my own workshop in Baiersdorf
- 2004 - Move to the district Hagenau
- 2014 - Move to Aidlingen (south of Stuttgart)