© 2009-2019 Dirk Janssen Gitaarbouw, luitbouw en reparaties

Guitars & Lutes Dirk Janssen

Beside being a beautiful craft, building musical instruments is real passion for me. It is playing with various variables such as types of wood, material thickness, tension, shapes etc. Each of which determines the sound to a greater or lesser extent. That is where the challenge lies for me as a guitar builder: improving sound and layout for musicians.

The purchase of a hand-built instrument brings you not only perfect playability that is adapted to your wishes, but also many more possibilities in terms of intonation and musical expression.

Essential for building an outstanding instrument is the selection and use of the best, fully-dried wood types. Most of the woods I use have been lying in my workshop for over many years. When building, all parts of the instrument are aligned and balanced, so that they reinforce each other.

The final usage of shellac (french-polish) promotes the sound and protects the instrument giving it a luxurious appearance.

This site gives you an overview of the instruments I built and the profession of guitar builder. To get a more complete impression of my instruments, you are always more than welcome to try out the instruments in my workshop.

There is usually a copy of most models available. If you have any further questions about my instruments or about guitar construction in general, please contact me.