Daniel Friederich 1968 – France

A unique opportunity to acquire a 1968 Daniel Friederich in its original condition. This guitar is one of the very last ‘Récital’ models that Daniel Friederich made in 1968. After that year, he focused primarily on making ‘Concert’ models. This is why this guitar, inspired by Robert Bouchet’s guitars, shares certain similarities in tone with his ‘Concert’ models. The guitar has been perfectly maintained. Closer in style to Robert Bouchet’s guitars, this instrument surprises with its power and the beauty of its tone.

This guitar is one of the last examples of the Récital range that Daniel Friederich made. Daniel Friederich achieved recognition and fame at a relatively young age thanks to his talent and his close association with the luthier Robert Bouchet. His prices soon skyrocketed. To appeal to a less affluent group of guitarists, particularly conservatoire students, Daniel Friederich developed a range of guitars known as the ‘Récital’, which required less work and, above all, were more affordable. The ‘Récital’ range is characterised by the use of Indian rosewood instead of the Rio rosewood used for his concert models of the time, the absence of carving on the headstock and the absence of serial numbering. In terms of construction, these guitars are generally lighter and more similar to Robert Bouchet’s guitars.

The Récital models have evolved over the years to become more similar to the concert models.

From 1969 onwards, Daniel Friederich devoted himself exclusively to the production of his concert model, making widespread use of Indian rosewood and introducing cedar as a substitute for spruce.

The guitar has not undergone any repairs and is in its original condition. It shows signs of wear, and the varnish has worn away from part of the top. The varnish on the top is therefore original, as are the tuning machines. The frets have been replaced, and the varnish on the back and sides has been well maintained.

In terms of tone, the guitar is surprisingly powerful and offers lovely complexity and great sustain. The neck, characteristic of this period, is slimmer than on later Friederich models and feels more comfortable to play.

About Daniel Friederich:

Daniel Friederich was born on 16 January 1932 in Paris, into a family of cabinet-makers, and grew up in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine district of Paris, where the capital’s cabinet-making workshops were located. It was here that he learned the art of guitar making. In 1948, he bought his first guitar and took lessons with Christian Aubin. At the time, Aubin, who was both a guitarist and a luthier, was putting the finishing touches to a guitar based on a model by Antonio de Torres. It was this model that inspired Friederich’s first guitar in 1955.

At the end of the 1950s, Friederich opened his first workshop at 21 rue Ramponneau, where he developed mainly three models – the Arpège, the Récital and the Concert – as well as a few flamenco models. In 1966, he moved to rue Sergent Bauchat, in the cabinetmakers’ district, where he remained until his retirement.

The following year, he took part in a violin-making competition in Liège, where he was awarded a gold and a silver medal by the famous composer Joaquin Rodrigo, the virtuoso Alirio Diaz and the violin-makers Robert Bouchet and Ignacio Fleta. His meeting with Ignacio Fleta led him to work for the Fleta family.

Daniel Friederich was a passionate luthier who always took a rational approach to making his instruments. He was meticulous, and each of his guitars is the result of extensive work and various tests and measurements. In the early 1960s, he joined the acoustics laboratory at the University of Paris IV to conduct experiments aimed at improving the guitar. This is one of the reasons why his instruments are so sought-after today.