Luthier: John Weissenrieder

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John Weissenrieder was born in Pennsylvania, USA, in 1964. After his university studies and a 12 year career as a top professional cyclist, he dedicated himself to the art of lutherie, combining his cultivated love of wood and working with his hands with a passion for music. After relocating to Florence, Italy, his formal studies began in the workshop of Andrea Tacchi in 1998.

During his apprenticeship he also engaged in extensive research of instruments built by some of the greatest legendary makers of the past, including Enrique Garcia, Francisco Simplicio and Robert Bouchet. His research took him to Spain and France with the scope of investigating more deeply the works of these and other past masters.

John Weissenrieder now constructs instruments in his own atelier in Florence, in the spirit of these luthiers and yet at the same time in a very personal style, paying maximum attention to selection of wood and other materials. He uses a discerning combination of traditional and modern working methods and techniques, producing guitars of optimum sonoric and aesthetic qualities. He is perhaps best known for the fine instruments he has built in homage to Garcia, Simplicio and particularly Bouchet. Although John’s instruments capture the spirit of these makers of the past, they are also endowed with a sound and aesthetic which can only said to be John’s.