Daniel Friederich, 1994

Power is part of every great Friederich; this 1994 Concert Model may have more of it than any we have encountered. Built in Daniel Friederich's Paris workshop at the height of his mature period, No. 725 is an explosive guitar that never sounds forced, pairing enormous projection with a woody, completely natural voice.

The first string is the other headline. Like some of the finest guitars we recently handled, this guitar has a pure, legendary first string: the singing, vocal treble that has done so much to build the Friederich name.

It carries the doubled sides that became a Friederich hallmark from the late 1970s onward and weighs in at 1,775 g, yet nothing about it feels heavy or held back. The sound is quick to speak, full of energy, and remarkably easy to shape across its whole dynamic range.

It has clearly spent its life as a working concert instrument and wears that history honestly, with no cracks or repairs and a top that still presents beautifully. For the player who wants a Friederich to perform on rather than simply admire, it makes a compelling case.

Sound

The first impression is sheer volume. The sound is explosive from the opening note, and the reserve of power seems to keep growing the harder the right hand works. Even at full force the guitar keeps its composure; the volume arrives as musical presence rather than strain or edge, which is exactly what separates a great concert instrument from a merely loud one.

The voice itself is woody, warm, and wonderfully natural. Nothing about it feels engineered. Notes carry an organic grain and a depth of color that belong to aged cedar and Indian rosewood, the voice of a top that has been played, and played well, for more than thirty years.

Above it all sits that first string. It is pure and singing, with a clean, vocal core and a long line that lets melodies float over the full texture of the guitar without ever having to fight for space. In a guitar with this much power underneath it, a treble this refined is a rare and beautiful combination.

Just as impressive is the evenness. Sustain is consistent from string to string, and the dynamic range is wide and smooth, so a phrase can grow from a whisper to full voice without any note jumping forward or falling away. The whole guitar resonates with every note, and that sense of the entire instrument speaking at once is a large part of what makes it so thrilling to play.

Playability

No. 725 follows Friederich's classic concert proportions, with a 650 mm scale and a 52 mm nut width, at the slimmer end of the range we typically see on his guitars. It is a familiar, comfortable layout that lets the left hand settle in right away.

For the right hand, the guitar offers enormous headroom. It responds to a light touch with clarity and color, and when the string is sent deep into the instrument it answers with a huge, round sound that holds together at every dynamic. Players who like to lean into a guitar will find this one simply keeps giving, while its even response makes quiet, intimate playing every bit as rewarding.

Inside, the handwritten label reads Année 1994 and No. 725, framed by Friederich's ornate printed border above his workshop address at 33 rue Sergent Bauchat in Paris. The French polished cedar top is braced with his seven fan pattern, and the body is built with doubled sides.

The rosette is Friederich's signature mosaic, a deep red band studded with dark diamonds and framed by fine rings of purfling. The rosewood bridge carries a decorative mosaic in its tie block, and the back is a two-piece set of straight-grained Indian rosewood joined by a fine center strip, with matching sides. Friederich's concert model headstock, with its carved central motif, is fitted with Rodgers tuners featuring engraved gold plates and mother of pearl buttons.

Specifications

Model: Concert Model
Number: 725
Sides: Doubled
Bracing: Seven fan bracing
Finish: French Polish (touched up on the top)
Rosette: Classic Friederich mosaic
Bridge: Rosewood with decorative mosaic tie block
Condition: Very good. French polish touched up on the top, with small scratches and scuffs. No cracks or repairs

Daniel Friederich (1932 to 2020) was born in Paris and began his working life as a woodworker in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, the city's historic furniture-making quarter. He built his first guitar in 1955, encouraged by his guitar teacher, and after showing his early work to Robert Bouchet he became a full-time maker in his own Paris workshop in 1960. In 1967 he entered a competition anonymously, judged by Ignacio Fleta and Robert Bouchet, and came away with a silver medal for sound and a gold medal for craftsmanship.

From 1970 onward Friederich built only his Concert models, and from around 1973 he deliberately made his guitars heavier, convinced that added mass gave them longer sustain and a richer tone. His instruments have long been prized by concert artists and collectors around the world, and the guitars of his mature years remain among the most sought after classical guitars of the modern era. No. 725 is that philosophy at its most persuasive: a heavy, doubled-sided guitar that sounds anything but.

This guitar is in very good condition for its age. The French polish on the top appears to have been touched up at some point, which comes as no surprise for an instrument of this caliber that has been played as much as this one has. Small scratches and scuffs remain, but the guitar presents very well overall, and there are no cracks or repairs.