Stefan Hahl

Master Luthier

“Lutherie is much more for me than just a craft or a job. It is my passion, a passion fed by my love of music and guitar playing. What would the world be without music and life without the many hours of pleasure it gives us? The joy that music and music making provide is the all-consuming force that inspires me to create instruments.”

Biography

Stefan Hahl was born in 1964 in Worms, one of the oldest cities in Germany. He grew up in a family of musicians and at 15 discovered his greatest love, the guitar. With time, he became inspired to create and play quality-built, superior sounding and aesthetically attractive instruments.

His first stop was the workshop of Henning Doderer, a well-known master luthier. Doderer taught Stefan Hahl the basics and opened up the doors to the fascinating world of instrument building.

Stefan’s insatiable thirst for knowledge and understanding led him to closely study and test both the techniques of the old European masters and those of the modern instrument builders. From the very beginning, he has designed his own models and proactively pursued the exchange of information with experienced colleagues and musicians.

His five years of apprenticeship with prestigious guitar building companies in Germany, including Höfner, Hanika and Hopf, refined his skills and knowledge.

In 1994, Stefan Hahl completed his final examination and received his diploma from the renowned Violin and Stringed Instrument Making Academy in Mittenwald, Germany, an academy whose roots go back to the master Italian instrument builders.

For over 20 years, Stefan Hahl has devoted his creative energy to the construction and design of quality classical, dreadnought, archtop and gipsy style guitars. The outstanding sound, beauty, workmanship and playability of his instruments have won him acclaim and esteem throughout the world.