A. Schlünsen - 10 strenget - 1972 - Københavns Guitarværksted

A. Schlünsen 10-strenget klassisk guitar- 1972 Nr. 518

En yderst sjælden 10-strenget klassisk guitar, skabt af den legendariske danske guitarbygger Arne Schlünsen, udbydes nu til salg. Instrumentet fremstår i nær perfekt stand.
Schlünsen byggede kun tre af disse unikke guitarer, hvoraf kun to eksisterer i dag – den tredje gik desværre tabt i en brand.

An exceptionally rare 10-string classical guitar, crafted by the legendary Danish luthier Arne Schlünsen, is now for sale. The instrument is in near perfect condition.
Schlünsen built only three of these unique guitars, and today only two remain, as one was sadly lost in a fire.

Arne Schlünsen regnes som en af de helt store skikkelser i skandinavisk guitarbyggeris historie. Han begyndte sin karriere som møbelsnedker, men valgte i stedet at hellige sig byggeriet af guitarer. I 1937 blev han ansat hos den anerkendte guitarmager Johannes Møller, hvor han tilbragte syv år som lærling.

I 1944 åbnede Schlünsen sit eget værksted på Hauser Plads i København. Tiden under Anden Verdenskrig bød på stor efterspørgsel efter guitarer, mens importen fra udlandet var stærkt begrænset. Det skabte gunstige vilkår for danske guitarbyggere, og Schlünsen var blandt dem, der oplevede stor succes.

Hans guitarer var så eftertragtede, at de ofte blev solgt, før de overhovedet var bygget.

Da den verdensberømte guitarist Andrés Segovia gæstede Danmark, lagde han vejen forbi Schlünsens værksted for at prøve instrumenterne. Ifølge overleveringen udbrød Segovia ved en lejlighed: “Dette er en god guitar – den vil jeg gerne have!” Hvortil Schlünsen tørt svarede: “Ja, men du er velkommen til at købe den.” Segovia, som ikke var vant til at betale for sine instrumenter, forlod dog værkstedet uden en guitar.

Det var den spanske guitarist Narciso Yepes som i 1964 fik den dejligt skøre ide med de 10 strenge på den klassiske guitar. Hele “miseren” kom i stand i samarbejde med Ramirez guitarbyggerne i Madrid.

Den primære grund til opfindelsen af dette instrument var tilføjelsen af strenge stemt til C, A#, G# og F#, hvilket resulterede i den første guitar med ægte kromatisk strengresonanser – lignende den, man finder hos klaveret med sin sustainpedal.

Arne Schlünsen is considered one of the true pioneers in Scandinavian guitar making. He began his career as a cabinetmaker but chose instead to dedicate himself to building guitars. In 1937, he started working under the renowned luthier Johannes Møller, where he spent seven years as an apprentice.

In 1944, Schlünsen opened his own workshop on Hauser Plads in Copenhagen. During World War II, there was a high demand for guitars, while importing them from abroad was nearly impossible. This created favorable conditions for Danish guitar makers, and Schlünsen was among those who found great success.

His guitars were so sought after that they were often sold before they were even built.

When the world-famous guitarist Andrés Segovia visited Denmark, he stopped by Schlünsen’s workshop to try out the instruments. According to legend, Segovia once exclaimed, “This is a good guitar – I would like to have it!” To which Schlünsen dryly replied, “Yes, but you’re welcome to buy it.” However, Segovia, who was not used to paying for his instruments, left the workshop without a guitar.

It was the Spanish guitarist Narciso Yepes who in 1964 came up with the wonderfully crazy idea of adding 10 strings to the classical guitar. The entire “fuss” came about in collaboration with the Ramirez guitar makers in Madrid. The primary reason for inventing this instrument was the addition of strings tuned to C, A#, G#, and F#, which resulted in the first guitar with true chromatic string resonances – similar to what is found on the piano with its sustain pedal.