The Polycentric Baroque Arch - Kenneth Brögger

Danish luthier Kenneth Brögger recently shared some of the fresh designs he is using for his new guitars, one of which we will be welcoming into the GSI showroom very soon! Most notable of his instrument’s new look is the innovative headstock shape which, as you can see in the photos, is based off a principle called The Polycentric Baroque Arch. Read about his inspiration for this design as well as other changes you can expect to see in his new guitars below!

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I have developed a new guitar head which at first glance looks quite common and even obvious. Nevertheless, I did not manage to find a similar headshape in any of the many, many guitar books I own!

In some places, I have seen similar ideas but they have been weakly expressed. My new head, is strong in its shape and expression. It has been made according to an old geometric principle called “The Polycentric Baroque Arch.” The shape of the arch is simple and elegant, and there is a lot of meaning behind it. I have also tried to make the whole head’s shape a little more beautiful by making it smaller in the width, changing some of the angles (which also give the strings freer access to the saddle) and making the slots a little narrower.

The first prototype you can view in the photos below. It can be used with or without Lyra tuners depending on how you place the machine head holes. As shown in the working drawings, my future heads will be provided with an ebony inlay that fits the headshape, similar to my previous guitars but 4 mm smaller.

In addition to the headshape, I have also changed the plantilla of the body a bit to a very harmonious form inspired by guitars from the first half of the 20th century. It is quite similar to the one Lars Hanninbal plays on in the video below.

– Kenneth Brögger, September 2018