Zbigniew Gnatek, 2014

This 2014 Zbigniew Gnatek is a rare thing: a carbon fiber reinforced Australian lattice that projects like a powerhouse while looking and feeling like a traditional concert guitar. Based in Sydney, Gnatek builds instruments played by artists around the world, and this is the first we have had in the studio. It surprised us immediately, a lighter-weight take on the modern Australian lattice tradition, with a raised fingerboard, a domed and doubled back, and a very handsome set of Madagascar rosewood.

What we admire most is how thoroughly this modern instrument hides its modern construction. The rosette, the plantilla, and the Bouchet inspired headstock all read as a classic concert guitar. Only on close inspection, at the bridge, do the hints appear. It is built in the Smallman manner, with a rectangular center section and routed away slots for each string for a very light, evenly distributed design. It is, in the best sense, a secret weapon.

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Specifications

Luthier: Zbigniew Gnatek
Year: 2014
Top: Cedar
Back & Sides: Madagascar Rosewood
Construction: Carbon fiber reinforced lattice, doubled and domed back
Bridge: Smallman style, lightweight routed design
Scale Length: 650mm
Nut Width: 52.5mm
Fingerboard: Raised
Headstock: Bouchet inspired
Tuners: Gotoh
Strings: D'Addario XTC45FF with normal tension nylon first string
https://ddar.io/guitar-collection
Condition: Good, fully original with honest playwear, no cracks or repairs

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Sound

This guitar has a powerful voice no matter where you play on it, and it is by far the loudest of its peers. Volume alone is never what makes a guitar, but here it comes paired with an incredible, Smallman like sustain and a remarkable depth of support in the bass. That bass response, particularly over the fingerboard, is genuinely unusual and takes a moment to get used to, in the best way. Despite the lattice construction, it does not carry an overtly lattice character on its own. The mid-range is tamed in a very pleasing way, and the whole instrument feels responsive and alive. Now with twelve years to break in, it has developed sounds that are entirely its own. Put simply, it is a hot rod, and it sings.

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Playability

The raised fingerboard encourages a comfortable low action, and the guitar is exceptionally easy and fun to play, responding instantly to the right hand. One quirk worth noting for the curious: there are no fret dots on the fingerboard.

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About the Luthier

Zbigniew Gnatek studied classical guitar performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and brings a formal background in audio engineering to his building practice. His instruments are played by internationally recognized concert soloists, including Rafael Aguirre Minarro, Artyon Dervoed, and Pedro Rodrigues, and are consistently sought after wherever they surface. A Gnatek on the secondary market is a rare find.

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This is a well played instrument, and it is priced accordingly. It shows a good deal of wear, most of it on the top, with less on the back and sides: light scratches where a shirt or a leg would rest, and some finish worn away in those contact areas. Importantly, there are no cracks, no repairs, and no repolishes. It is entirely original. There are no dings into the top, only superficial surface scratches, and from even a short distance they disappear. This guitar has clearly been played a great deal and just as clearly been very well cared for. It could be re-polished by anyone who wished to, though we are inclined to leave it exactly as it is.

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