Armin Hanika Luthier Interview 1 Background

Armin Hanika Luthier – For those who don’t know you yet, can you tell us about your background? Did you go to Luthiers school? Did you follow a training with already established Luthiers? And, if you don’t mind my asking, what did you do before embarking on this adventure? Were you a musician before becoming a luthier? Or did you do anything else? And, by the way, do you still find time to play music with your work as a Luthier ?

My father, Helmut Hanika, founded our guitar manufacture in 1953.

Under the name “SOLI” he built a wide variety of guitar models, for example archtop-guitars and Hawaiian guitars. From 1965 he specialized in classical guitars and sold his instruments under the brand name “Helmut Hanika concert guitars”. In 1980, at the age of 16, I began my apprenticeship as a plucked instrument maker with my father and passed my master’s luthier examination in 1987. In 1993 I took over the workshop from my father, which has been called “Armin Hanika Gitarrenbau” since then.

In Germany, the training in the plucked instrument maker trade is regulated.

Someone may only call himself a plucked instrument maker or luthier, if he has completed this training, which usually lasts three years.

We also train luthiers in our workshop.

For example: Tobias Strasser and Thomas Ochs did their training with us.

Unfortunately, I can’t really play the guitar by myself, but I definitely wouldn’t have time for it.

Apart from creating custom instruments, we know that you do all types of repairs and maintenance on guitars and basses, can you also take care of other types of plucked and bowed stringed instruments?

We also make “customized instruments”, but mainly standard models. In addition, we only repair our own instruments.

Armin Hanika Luthier – Can you tell us about your current flagship models? Do you have a range that you do regularly? Do you also make unique custom models ? How did you proceed to create them ? What were your choices and your creation process? What kind of musicians do you cater to?

We have many “flagship models”

Because we offer the optimal configuration for different requirements in four model lines:

studio line,
recital line,
concert line,
professional line.

But we also produce unusual special models in our custom shop.

For example a 7-string special model with an extended bass range through a theorbed and individually fixable 7th string, see https://www.hanika.de/de/news/newsbeitrag/id-7-saitige-gitarre-fuer-daniel-goeritz.html

Computer has become everyone’s daily life, regardless of their profession. Do you use special computer tools in the field of Luthiers? Can you tell us about them?

Yes, we use modern computer tools in the field of design (CAD-CAM) and in the production (5-axis CNC technology), too.

Armin Hanika Luthier – Those who know you know that you are a great lover of beautiful woods, how do you help your customers to choose the woods of their future guitar in relation to the sound they have in mind? Can you easily find wood in your networks? If so, can you name some of your suppliers ?

We have a large network of music shops where our customers can test our instruments, and we are also available by e-mail or phone to answer any question.

Our extremely well-stocked wood store, in which we have sufficient and well-stored qualities of all essential instrument woods and some special materials helps us to meet the requirements of our customers.

There is a huge selection of aftermarket parts. Do you work with regular suppliers or are you always on the lookout for new suppliers who can offer you something new? Do you have any examples to give us?

We have regular suppliers.

For example Scheller Gitarrenmechaniken GmbH in Halblech, Germany for machine heads and Tonewood Switzerland Florinett AG in Bergün, Switzerland for spruce tops, but we are always open for new offers and ideas.

Music fairs such as the “NAMM Show” in Anaheim or the “Music China” in Shanghai are usually good starting points for this.

We also buy wood from our region. We saw it by ourselves and use it for making the instruments in our “native range”.

In addition to the short transport routes, this has the advantage that we can use every part of the tree.

From a log we can make back and sides, necks, neck reinforcements, fingerboards, bridges, pieces for rosettes and what is left is used for heating our workshop.

We have developed a unique thermal treatment process which activates and accelerates the modification and ageing processes of the wood. This makes it similar in its properties to exotic wood.

Armin Hanika Luthier – When you can’t find the parts you want at your aftermarket suppliers, do you ever create parts yourself or hire specialized craftsmen? Can you give us some examples?

In the meantime, we are making more and more of the parts we need (bindings, rosettes, bridges) by ourselves in order to avoid delivery difficulties or quality problems from our suppliers.

How do you choose the pickups for your electric instruments according to the demands of your customers? Do you have any secrets or wiring habits? Have you ever had any very special requests, or requests that seemed strange to you from customers with special needs?

Pickups are less relevant for the classical guitar.

We rely on decades of experience and long-term business relationships with manufacturers known to us in order to be able to offer stable systems.

Varnish… Nitrocellulo, P.U (polyurethane) or French polish? What are your choices and why?

We use UV-curing acrylic and polyurethane varnishes.

For many models of our professional line we also use French polish.

When selecting the varnishes, the decisive factor for us is, how thin they can be made for the given price.

How do you help your customers choose their electro-acoustic sensors?

Elekto-acoustic sensors are not relevant for us because we make acoustic concert guitars.

How do you help your clients choose the woods for the fingerboard of their instrument in relation to the sound they want to achieve? Can you tell us how this choice affects the other woods used in the construction of an instrument?

The fingerboard is of minor importance for the sound of a concert guitar. Resilience and sorption are much more important.

Do you have any advice for future young luthiers? Can you give them advice on training courses? Do you know of any special schools?

We recommend a good training.

Young luthiers should questioning construction methods and processes and take physics seriously.

In Germany you can be trained in workshops with a master luthier or in a special colleges:

Mittenwald https://www.instrumentenbauschule.eu/en/
Klingenthal http://bfs-klingenthal.de/
Fachhochschule Markneukirchen https://www.fh-zwickau.de/aks/studium/musikinstrumentenbau-ba/

The profession of Luthier is a trade that requires a significant material investment to start its activity. What would you advise a young luthier to buy to start? The minimum required? And, the maximum to be in a comfortable working environment?

We don´t agree with the statement that a beginning guitar maker has to make substantial material investments.

Wood can already be bought stored and dry. A large machine park is not absolutely necessary. There is no minimum or maximum, it is much more important that you can sell your instruments.

The real problem is the marketing.

You can contact Armin Hanika through the contact form
on his personal page on Luthiers.com here:

https://luthiers.com/listing/armin-hanika-gitarrenbau/

We also invite you to follow him on his various social networks:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hanika-Guitars-427326810005
Website: https://www.hanika.de/de/home.html