Official Luthiers Forum!

Just got back from a trip through Austria and Germany on the Danube and it is highly recommended. Spent a day in a lovely small town with a beautiful medieval section - Passau.

Right in the middle of town was music shop which was closed as it was a Sunday. In the window were 2 Martins, 3 Taylors, a Larrivee, and a Furch, along with an equal number of classical instruments that I don't know much about.

Interesting to see a window full of guitars with no D-bodies present.

Ed

Must not be many "blaue Gräser" in those parts.

Nice town Passau.
We lived in Regensburg for a time, not so far away.
We all have good memories of Germany, and still in contact with friends we made there.
My daughter still has an excellent violin bow from there, bought when we passed through some years later.
The shop was shut (Jan 2nd) but they were in stocktaking, and they let us in, served us, very hospitable.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Probably a bit too late, but Mattias Dammann, one of THE most influential and internationally recognised classical guitar builders (and the inventor of the double top, together with Gernot Wagner) lives just outside of Passau... He also happens to be a very nice guy, with some pretty innovative ideas on guitar building.