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© Jens Ritter
© Jens Ritter
© Jens Ritter
© Jens Ritter
© Jens Ritter

Jens Ritter

Jens Ritter Guitar maker
Contact
German, English
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+49 6326981428
© Jens Ritter

The intriguing art of sculpting sounds

  • • Jens is known for his exceptional designs
  • • He combines tradition and innovation in one instrument
  • • His works have developed into abstract art pieces

Jens Ritter started his impressive career as a guitar maker due to a simple request. “My best friend asked me to play the bass in his newly founded punk-rock band, but unfortunately I had no money to buy a new guitar.” So he decided to buy a damaged one and try to repair it himself. “It was a lot of fun and so I started to offer repair jobs to friends of mine.” But after a while he wanted to know if he could build an instrument from scratch, so he gave it a go in his carpenter grandfather's tiny wood workshop. Today, superstars such as Lady Gaga and world leading museums including the Metropolitan in New York are among those who own a masterpiece by Jens, whose creations have morphed from their traditional purpose into abstract art pieces.

Read the full interview

Works

  • © Jens Ritter
  • © Jens Ritter
  • © Jens Ritter
  • © Jens Ritter
  • © All rights reserved
Photo: © Jens Ritter
The Purple Rain

The Purple Rain guitar was created as a tribute to the singer Prince, who was a great customer of Jens. The guitar is covered with 11,000 custom-made Swarovski crystals. Only the finest woods were chosen: German alder, mahogany and a beautiful Asian ebony. The discreet inlays made of 24k gold add further visual highlights.

Width 44 cm
Length 108 cm
Depth 7 cm

Photo: © Jens Ritter
View from the Moving Castle

The Sleeping Beauties series is a collection of electric guitars handcrafted from the finest woods, combined with exceptional materials and outstandingly creative designs. They were conceived to be unused for 100 years and their jacks were sealed on purpose. “The Sleeping Beauties are meaningful legacies to pass on to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They transport the powerful cultural energy of the electric guitar's golden age which we have to communicate to future generations!” Jens says.

Width 44 cm
Length 108 cm
Depth 7 cm

Photo: © Jens Ritter
The Monroe Acoustic

The Monroe Acoustic is a semi-acoustic guitar created with a combination of materials and techniques that Jens had never used before. The instrument has a more complex and versatile sound than a traditional semi-acoustic instrument.

Width 42 cm
Length 117 cm
Depth 7 cm

Photo: © Jens Ritter
The Blue Dragon

The Blue Dragon is covered with a real vintage brocade fabric that was glued on the surface of the guitar prior to the finishing process. Several layers of lacquer were then applied and sanded back until a completely flat and even surface appeared. The combination of the wooden body and the treble frequency-reducing fabric produces a smooth, fine jazz sound. It is a limited edition of 25 guitars.

Width 44 cm
Length 108 cm
Depth 7 cm

Photo: © All rights reserved
The Roya

The Roya was fully handcrafted from stained poplar burl, which is characterised by differently sized and shaped groups of small black burls embedded within it. The slightly labyrinthine and wavy growth rings call to mind the beauty of landscapes seen from space, an image Jens aimed to convey.

Width 38 cm
Length 121 cm
Depth 5 cm

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