Ervin Somogyi Collection

Ervin Somogyi was born in Budapest in 1944 where he got his start in craftsmanship around the age of 11, building his first (more or less non-playable) guitar out of a cigar box.

Around the late 1960s/early 1970s, Somogyi had begun to find his true calling in guitar making. Starting out as a flamenco guitar maker, then dabbling in classical guitars, and eventually finding his way to the steel string guitar, he built up his lutherie skills across a multitude of different guitar models.

Somogyi’s big break came when he established a relationship with artists on Windham Hill, a record label founded in 1976 in Palo Alto, California and a pioneer in making high-quality recordings of solo, instrumental guitar music. His work with Windham Hill was part of a revolution in guitar construction that is still unfolding today.

Somogyi would later pass on his knowledge to rookies and seasoned veterans alike in the form of lectures, workshops, books, and most notably, apprenticeships. Many of his former apprentices and proteges have become exceptional guitar makers who are in high demand around the globe.

Ervin Somogyi’s work and aptitude as a luthier truly speaks for itself, as seen in his unique and intricate guitar designs (check out his Andamento guitars, Espalda Guitars, and Trompe L’Oeil guitar). Check out his website here to learn more about the legend himself, his work, and all there is to learn from what many call, the “luthier’s luthier.”