Christian Koehn

Hohen Neuendorf, near Berlin, Germany

Christian Koehn was born in 1976 and trained under Roy Courtnall at the guitar making school at Newark and Sherwood College in England, graduating with distinction; Andy Danser, another maker we represent, was his classmate there. In 2007 he established his workshop near Berlin, which he shares with his wife, the violinmaker Thilde van Norel, in Hohen Neuendorf just north of the city. He sees himself as part of a new generation of German luthiers, initially inspired by the Spanish masters before turning his focus to the French school tradition of Daniel Friederich and Robert Bouchet.

Koehn's building draws on unusually deep restoration experience: he has restored more than 200 master guitars from around the world, work that has allowed him to study and refine the most successful construction ideas at first hand. He compares guitarmaking to sculpture, an effort to draw out the beauty and qualities of the material in the best possible way, and he integrates traditional and modern techniques freely. His core model comes in two variations, a traditional solid top and a double top, and his instruments are known for power, clarity, balance, and comfort in the player's hands. Violin making runs deep in his work as well: after guitar school he attended the violin making school in Newark to study varnishing and restoration, and his finishing shows it. Before any French polish begins, each top receives a carefully established ground color, a week in a UV chamber, and a nitrification process adopted from the violin tradition, so a brand new soundboard already glows like one that has aged for decades. Even the ebony crown on his heel cap is a detail borrowed from old Italian violins.

Christian builds some of the most elegant guitars in the world. World class craftsmanship and a luthier with genuine taste are only the beginning in describing his work. We visited Christian at his workshop near Berlin and were blown away by what he showed us and by the detail in his process. We are proud to represent his guitars, and the 2026 doubletop now being finished for us is sure to be an amazing example. Our expert team is glad to discuss reserving it ahead of arrival.