❌SOLD❌ Fritz Mueller Classical Doubletop Guitar Ziricote, 2013

It is rare to see a Fritz Mueller classical guitar for sale on the open market, as he builds entirely to order and his instruments are prized. Mueller is a highly respected classical guitar builder working about 770 km north of Vancouver at Tatlayoko Lake in the Central Interior region of British Columbia.

Inspired by the music of masters such as Segovia and Bream, Mueller began building guitars while an undergrad at the University of Wisconsin. Towards the end of the 1970’s he met and worked with Jeff Elliott in Portland, Oregon and studied the Hauser classical guitar design.

Mueller has focused on building concert grade double-top guitars for the last 15 years, and has built over 150 of them. While these guitars use modern techniques, they stem from the Hauser style. The double top offers a significant increase in volume, dynamic range, projection, balance clarity, and responsiveness.

Here we’re looking at Fritz Mueller Classical Guitar number 291, built during 2013 at Mueller’s shop in the mountains of central BC. This guitar features a Cedar double top paired with Ziricote laminate back and sides. The neck is Spanish Cedar, with a hollow core and graphite reinforcement. Ebony is used for the fingerboard and bridge, and the bindings are Wenge. The edge of the top bass bout is rounded with a Ryan-style slight bevel, smaller than the cut introduced by Grit Laskin. The fingerboard is an elevated design, offering increased access to the upper frets. The bridge is a 12-hole type, allowing the greatest amount of downbearing and more secure tying; the saddle is wider for improved accuracy of intonation. Graf tuners, hand built in Ontario by Jorg Graf.

The top is finished with French Polish, the sides and back with a light coat of Lacquer, and the neck is oiled. This mix of finishes is quite deliberate. French Polish is light and imposes the least restriction on top vibration, so it’s used there. The sides and back get more contact with the player and case, so it gets the more durable Lacquer. The neck is oiled strictly for playability and comfort.

This exceptional instrument is in good condition. While French Polish is an excellent finish in terms of its tonal properties, it does not offer a lot of physical protection so there are a number of small pressure marks on the top.  There is also a hairline crack on the back; the back is made of Ziricote laminated with Mahogany, and the crack seems only through the outer layer.  The sides are Ziricote laminated with Maple. 

The original Hiscox Liteflite case, in black, is included.