A genuine handmade instrument usually has a completely different appearance than one tooled by a machine. I m sure that this explains much of the fascination of old instruments. Handmade instruments age in a beautiful way and won t ever appear shabby. Maybe even more important is the fact, that handcraft can t be replaced even by the most perfect machine, especially regarding tonal balance and good playability. Another point of big importance is the choice of tonewoods.
Great care is taken in the selection and ageing of the woods.
Furthermore, I always try to obtain the wood as raw as possible, sometimes even as whole trunks, in order to get the most control over the process of cutting. Achim-Peter Gropius was born on February 25th 1967 in Berlin. He received his first guitar lessons at the age of nine. After finishing secondary school, he decided on an apprenticeship as a guitar maker rather than studying guitar. He began training as a guitar maker in 1991 and 1994 at the violin making school in Mittenwald, receiving his diploma in 1994.