Daniel Friederich 1985 No 602 – France

It has been a long time since we last offered a Daniel Friederich from the 1980s – the golden age of Daniel Friederich – in almost perfect condition. The tone of this No. 602 exceeds our expectations for a guitar from this period: powerful, well-balanced and beautifully rounded. Undoubtedly one of the finest Friederichs we have ever had the pleasure of offering for sale. As a bit of trivia, this guitar bears the number 602, whilst its twin, the 603, was sold to Alvaro Pierri.

The guitar has had just one owner, who replaced the tuning machines – the Fusteros having failed – with a superior set. He has looked after his guitar over the years. Due to a small dent at the bottom of the top near the sides, a minor repair is required, specifically a touch-up of the varnish over a few centimetres on the top to fix the dent. Apart from this, the varnish is entirely original, as are the frets and nut.

• Cedar top with Indian rosewood back and sides
• The top had a small dent, which required repair and very minor refinishing
• The sides and neck have not undergone any repairs.
• The guitar retains its original varnish – apart from the minor touch-up at the dent
• The Fustero tuning machines have been successfully replaced with new ones
• The frets appear to be original and are in good condition; the nut is original
• Standard dimensions: 65 cm, 52 mm

Daniel Friederich was born on 16 January 1932 in Paris, into a family of cabinetmakers, and grew up in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine neighbourhood of Paris, where the capital’s cabinetmaking workshops were located. It was there that he learnt the art of guitar-making. In 1948, he bought his first guitar and took lessons with Christian Aubin. At that 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 instrument that inspired Friederich’s first guitar in 1955.

In the late 1950s, Friederich opened his first workshop at 21 Rue Ramponneau, where he mainly developed 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’ quarter, where he remained until his retirement.

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

Daniel Friederich was a passionate luthier who always took a rational approach to crafting his instruments. He was meticulous, and each of his guitars is the result of thorough work and d