Darren Hippner Guitars Classical

This is an 11 string custom made after a Torres from the late 19th century. It was made in 2005. Back and sides are of birdseye maple. Top is German spruce. Neck is cedar and the fingerboard is ebony. 11 Gilbert tuners are used.
Finish is French polish. The rosette is a copy of the 1912 Ramirez and herringbone purflings are used. I've never seen another like it.

The sound with Aquila strings in baroque lute tuning is clear and resonant. The trebles are bell like with basses being full and round. Volume is adequate for small halls unamplified. It is still playing in and I expect the sound to improve over the next few years.

Fit and finish is excellent. Lovely yellowish tint for the back and sides. Natural top is French polished with no detectable flaws. Unusual headstock is well designed and flawlessly executed.

Action on the radiused fingerboad is perfect. No buzzes or rattles on any string.

This guitar is relatively new, but appears to be long lasting. It has withstood much live playing and many curious "testers." Hardware is first rate and built to last.

Darren Hippner is one of the country's best luthiers. He is also a really good guy to deal with. If there is ever a problem I'm sure I could just send the guitar back and he would make it right.

I've never had a problem communicating with him on any question.

I've been playing guitars, lutes, and theorbos for about 45 years. I own 4 baroque lutes, three renaissance lutes, 9 classical guitars and one altgitarren.

The only problem with this guitar is that it needs two more strings. But we're working on that for next time.

I'm a friend of Darren's, but it's largely based on knowing him and his work and admiring it, not the other way around. We've known each other about 6 or 7 years, I'd say, and I've played at least a dozen of his guitars, probably more. I'm writing about my latest, a 2006 Bernabe model 640 scale with a redwood top and Indian rosewood sides. Tuners are Gilbert snakewood. Neck is mahogany with an ebony fingerboard. As with all of Darren's guitars, the neck is exquisite--
perfect in width and diameter.

The sound is huge and utterly different from any other. Not at all like cedar, let alone spruce. It is a very full and reverbrant sound.

Finish is superb. It is a gorgeous guitar. Darren has improved immensely in this respect over the last five years.

Should last longer than me. (I'm 61.)

Darren is the best there is. He will turn himself inside out to please you. I've never met a customer of his who doesn't love him.

Reviewing a Darren Hippner classical guiiutar is something of a challenge, because he makes most of his guitars as special-build custom orders.

This review is for #336, a 2003 replica of an 1888 Antonio de Torres instrument. The original Torres was owned by the famous bandleader Alvino Rey, and I had the chance to play it in a concert in 2002. I copied off the dimensions and woods, and Hippner made a replica for me (using proper Torres bracing and all). The top is European spruce, and the back and sides are bird's-eye maple. The board is ebony, the tuners are nice Gotohs. The neck is 640mm at my request; the original Torres is 650mm. The neck also has a truss rod, not a normal feature of a Hippner guitar but installed because of the harsh desert climate I live in. French polished top, lacquered back and sides.

Cosmetically it looks very close to a genuine Torres. The sound also is quite close, although 115 years of seasoning give the original a helluva head-start in sounding good.

It has excellent projection, certainly concert level. The maple hull gives a warmer timbre than the more traditional rosewood does. Very definitely it's on a par with other luthier-made concert guitars.

I'm only rating it a "9" here, because it is not the loudest guitar around. Conversely, neither is a true Torres, modern-day luthiery has gone beyond the constraints of the 1880s. But since a lot of people care about volume, I have to acknowledge this point here. For my own needs, it is great.

Everything on this guitar is properly set up and matched up, as one would expect for a luthier custom order. I had to lower the action a tad, but that was due to the climate difference between the shores of Puget Sound where it was made, and the Utah desert I live in.

This is as reliable and durable as any concert-grade classical guitar. It needs to be treated with care and respect. As elsewhere, I am downgrading it a bit because it won't withstand harsh treatment. But I doubt I would want to play a classical guitar that WOULD withstand such abuse!

Darren is easy to work with via e-mail. Any problems with his guitars and he'll gladly make adjustments.

I've played classical guitar for over 30 years. This is the first of 5 Hippner guitars I've owned. He is a luthier to be watched, and his name will likely become very well-known among players.

2005 Classical Guitar with nylon strings. Hand made in the USA by Darren at www.HippnerGuitars.com
His guitars are amazing! They are made from some of the best hand picked woods in the world. This particular guitar was made from wood taken from some old beams from a building that was built in the late 1800. Solid Brazilian rosewood back and sides. The neck I believe it Honduras mahogany and the fretboard it african Ebony. The top is Canadian Spruce. The tuning keys are gold with Ebony handles. His guitars sell in the price range or about $2000-$3000 dollars and rival an $8000 Ramirez. Both the nut and the saddle are solid tusq. Nothing but quality! Not only does he sell the highest quality guitars I have seen for the money but he ships them in a high quality TKL guitar case for the ultimate protection! His prices are much lower than market value and without a doubt his prices will increase as more players discover the quality and tone of his instruments. I will give it a 10 here simply for all the extras. He does not cut corners and uses only the best quality materials available. I know they don't want you to give an over exagerated review in here but the bottom line is I have been playing guitar since I was 6 and I am 46 now.. and I have never played a more resonant classical guitar in my life and I lived in Spain for 8 years so I know a quality instrument when it comes to classical guitars.

I am not really a classical guitar player I play mostly acoustic steel strings and Electrics but I have to say the sound of his guitars have a depth and warmth that you will never find in any steel string acoustic or Electric guitar. They have an amazing full rich sound with a warmth that touches your soul. I have played at least 20 Hippner guitars over the last two years and regarless of whether I have played them with the solid maple back & sides or the mahogany or the Indian rose wood or walnut.. they all have a magical tone to them and I can see why they have been considered equal to an $8000 Ramirez out there. If you have had a chance to play one they you know what I am talking about.

The action was perfect. The finish was on this guitar is gorgeous! I believe he applies at least 8 coats of laquer and does a French polish to get the finished result. The wood he uses is some of the best wood available. He buys wood from all over the world and hand picks the best for his own guitars and sells the rest to other guitar builders out there. So in a nut shell you are without question getting the cream of the crop. As I already mentioned the back and sides of this guitar were used from wood that was taken from beams from an old building that was built I believe around 1875. That is incredible. It's like owning a guitar that is about 131 years old.

This guitar is solid as a rock! His workmanship is meticulous and I don't see any reason this guitar will not last a life time.

Customer support is second to none. He is one of the most helpful and friendly people I have ever met. Any questions or concerns he will respond within 24 hours and address them. He is a one man operation and I believe he only makes about 40 guitars a year. There is usually about a 6 month waiting list for his guitars which I think will increase as they catch on.

I am a guitar collector and I have been playing for 40 years.. since I was 6 when my father taught me little brown jug.. I have about 20 guitars of all types. The only thing I could have wanted to make this the ultimate guitar would be onboard Electronic which I believe Darren will be making available on his current guitars. What I like the most about Hippner Guitars is the Tone! Plain and simple pure tone from some of the best woods in the world! I tried a lot of his guitars and what intrigued me the most on this guitar was the age of the wood and where it came from. Pretty incredible. For the price the quality of his guitars are second to none. Go and try and find a handmade solid wood guitar with all the extras he adds for this price. Good luck you won't touch it for anything under $5000-$8000. If you can find one on Ebay do yourself a favor and buy it. The more people learn about these guitars the harder they will be to get and the higher the price will go. For now he is one of Americas best kept secrets!