2025 in Guitars

 

2025 has been a busy year with lots of changes for Voss Guitars. I build 4 guitars that year, two for clients, one for the Guitar Basar in Osnabrück and one as a special project together with luthier Rasmus Zandvliet who joined me in the shop for a couple of weeks in the summer. The latest change though and that will get a post of its own, is that I had to move my shop into a different space at the end of the year. 

In terms of guitars it has been diverse. The latest guitar is #49 which is a short scale Jay model with a cedar top. Finally cedar again! And Indian rosewood back and sides. A classic combination, think of Jim Olson Guitars. And one I like a lot. Cedar is a rare order for me and I am always excited to build with it. I can`t say too much about it because it is so freshly strung up and still needs a proper setup. 

 

Before that I finished my guitar #50. Thats a weird order, I know. But sometimes guitars get started and take longer than others. I usually number my guitars when I get the idea for it, or a custom order. But then the sequence of building them might change. I haven´t build #41 yet for example. It´s in my head just needs manifestation...

No.50 is a small milestone. And something I wanted to celebrate with an exciting project. Earlier in 2025 I arranged on having Rasmus Zandvliet as an apprentice/coworker in my shop. I immediately knew that I wanted to collaborate on some instruments with him because he is amazing on coming up with cool ideas. So as I prepared for that I happened to realize that I could be making guitar #50 in that slot. So I jumped on it. It is a 000-21 style guitar, heavily influenced by Rasmus and ultimately got both our signatures on the label. I am incredible proud of this thing. 

 A few weeks before Rasmus arrived I managed to get a baritone guitar to the finish guy for spraying polyuethane high gloss finish. It still needed a bridge and its finish on the neck which should be oil/wax which I mostly do. speaking about having a weird order this is No. 43. It is a 685mm scale baritone in Swiss moonspruce and African blackwood. A very interesting comission featuring impressions of Africa as well as Snowwhite the tale. Getting these ideas through in a subtle and elegant way and also sharing ideas back and forth with the customer was quite a fun journey. At the end there were many things I was very happy to have a chance to try like the red purfling lines and the wooden mosaic rosette with the maccassar pearl that I would have never though of myself. 

Last but not least the first instrument of the year was No. 48 which is an Oystercatcher model which is my Martin inspired OM model. But I changed the body shape a little bit. more like the very early 1929 to 31 shape Martin did. They changed their shape somewhere around 1932 when they switched the longscale OM to the short scale 000. 

Taking it from there I wanted to make it very much my own thing. So I chose a Sitka top but with Walnut back and sides and giving the whole  body an oil/wax finish. Exept for the top which is frnech polished with a subtle sun burst effect with different coloured shellac. I was very happy with that one. 

It was an exciting year 2025. Now I am looking very much forward to the fresh new year, moving into my new shop space and getting ready to start the next builds! 

Happy New Year everyone! 

Celebrating a little milestone, my 50th guitar!