'The aim is always to build the most beautiful and best instrument from the best possible material.'

I build my instruments in the tradition of old instrument makers such as Antonio Torres and many others. But some elements of new achievements in guitar making, violin making and especially the reproduction of historical lutes have also influenced my guitar making in many aspects. The much older instruments have a long tradition. For centuries, only spruce and curly maple have been used in violin making; in lute making, spruce and mostly yew wood or curly maple. I was also fascinated by the sound of the even older instrument, the oud.

All guitars and historical instruments, as well as all ornaments, purflings and rosettes, are made entirely by hand, as I prefer to work with hand tools. I mainly use hide glue and all instruments are french-polished with shellac.

My classical guitars are available with either a fine-tuning bridge (FABS bridge) with six individually adjustable saddles or the conventional bridge.

The guitars also have a specially dressed logarithmic fingerboard, which makes them very easy to play. All guitars are fitted with machine heads from Klaus Scheller.

The instruments are manufactured with great care and can only be produced in small quantities each year.

In 2011, I started a long-term project with the acoustician, scientist and engineer Karl Sandvoss to optimise the sound of classical guitars. The result was a new top construction that we called the cascade system. This was preceded by decades of research by Karl Sandvoss on classical guitars from all the major guitar makers with traditional construction methods.

The new system combines a high tone carrying capacity with fast and easy response, high dynamics and a modellable tone with fine tonal characteristics.

My idea of sound is a full, open tone with deep, defined basses and clear, singing trebles with long sustain.

The balance of the individual tones and frequencies is the result of multiple sound optimisation, which is carried out even after the instrument has been finished. The classical guitars are suitable for the concert hall as well as for chamber music.

A film by Simon Liersam. Sound mixing: Tobias Diehl. Dramaturgical consultants: Natalia Liersam, Robin Liebetrau. Graphics: Ajdin Ramovic. English translation: Marie-Jo Miermeister

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I use the best seasoned wood I can find for my instruments.

I build almost exclusively with spruce tops, mostly bear claw spruce, as the tone development of this wood is of great advantage. My spruce tonewood is very light and at the same time very strong and was felled at the right phase of the moon. In 2014, I was able to buy a large batch of this special bear claw spruce moon wood. Most of the other tonewood is from the 1980s.

In addition to East Indian rosewood, Madagascar rosewood, curly maple, bird's eye maple, grenadil, ziricote, walnut, yew, cypress and bog oak (Fenland Bog Oak, from Hamish Low, over 5000 years old) are available for the back and sides.