Kris Barnett, 2025

This 2025 concert guitar is number 144 from Kris Barnett, an American luthier long based in Germany and known throughout the guitar world as much for his celebrated Barnett tuning machines as for his guitars. It pairs a cedar top with a striking set of Madagascar rosewood, built over Barnett's own lattice bracing system.

The timing makes this one especially significant. Barnett has announced that he is stepping back from guitar making to focus on other projects for the foreseeable future, which places #144 among the very last instruments to leave his shop. For players who have followed his work, it is a rare chance to own a guitar from what may be his final body of work for some time.

Like the best of his recent guitars, it is a modern instrument that wears its engineering lightly: lattice construction underneath, a refined concert guitar in look, feel, and spirit, and the kind of craftsmanship that sets it apart before a note is played.

Sound

The main air resonance sits low at F, which gives the basses a deep, full foundation and a warm low end that supports the whole instrument. Cedar over lattice brings immediacy and a generous, open voice, while the Madagascar rosewood adds depth, complexity, and a rich overtone halo. The result is a guitar with real power and presence that still carries the warmth and color of a fine traditional concert instrument.

Playability

At a 660mm scale with a 53mm nut, this is a full concert specification with the reach and string tension many players prefer for projection and tonal weight. The raised fingerboard opens up the upper register and keeps the right hand clear of the top, and the armrest adds comfort over long sessions while keeping the arm from damping the soundboard.

The cedar soundboard sits over a lattice bracing system of Barnett's own design. Madagascar rosewood, prized for its density, rich coloring, and resonant tap tone and long regarded as one of the finest alternatives to Brazilian rosewood, gives the guitar a deep, focused foundation.

The guitar is built for the modern player, with an integrated armrest and a raised fingerboard, and it is fitted with a set of Barnett's own tuning machines, among the most admired tuners in the classical guitar world.

Specifications

Number: 144
Fingerboard: Raised
Armrest: Yes
Origin: Germany

Absolutely mint, with no signs of play anywhere on the instrument.