Biography

Luthier Hyeonggeon Lee was born in Busan and began building guitars since 2013. I studied under Korean master luthier Moonseok Choi and, in 2024, earned both a bachelor's degree in plucked string instrument making (Zupfinstrumentenbau) and a Zupfinstrumentenmachermeister (Master Luthier for Plucked Instruments) qualification from the Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau in Markneukirchen, Germany.

I acquired knowledge and philosophy of instrument making through technical exchanges with renowned luthiers such as Paulino Bernabé, Ángel Benito Aguado, Paolo Coriani, and Bertrand Ligier. Through internships with various experts, including Bernhard Kresse and Yonghan Lee, he gained expertise in the restoration and repair of both historical and modern instruments and developed a deep understanding of the characteristics of guitars across different eras and regions.

Based on this foundation, I published a bachelor's thesis titled “A Study on the Construction and History of Louis Panormo’s Guitars” (Untersuchung zur Konstruktion und Geschichte der Gitarren von Louis Panormo).

I have also received awards from events such as the Augsburg and Iserlohn International Guitar Festivals in Germany, and the Rubí Guitar Making Competition in the Czech Republic.

In July 2024, after obtaining his Meister qualification, I returned to Korea and marked the beginning of his professional guitar making career through the Partita Luthier Concert with guitarists Kim Jinsae and Kwak Jingyu.

Philosophy

I have been deeply influenced by the works of Antonio Marin Montero and Robert Bouchet. I have collected and studied the structural and aesthetic characteristics of their instruments, as well as the materials they used.

As a result, my guitars feature elements such as a five-fan bracing system, a transverse bar under the bridge, and an arched tunnel bar. Both Atelier model and Bouchet model are crafted to produce a bright, yet soft and dense tone by strongly controlling the top plate, resulting in instruments with a relatively high natural frequency—higher than G#.

The Bouchet model is based on the Robert Bouchet 1972 #135 guitar, which is part of the Partita Collection. This particular model is an hommage that interprets and reimagines the sound, aesthetics, design, era, and philosophical ideas of the original luthier at the time. It incorporates the unique structural features of the 1972 Bouchet, such as internal construction and body depth, along with design elements like the headstock, rosette, wide heel cap, and body form—all of which preserve the originality of Bouchet’s distinctive style.

The Atelier model is a creative work that expresses the inspiration and impressions I received from great instruments. It depicts the sensory impressions through tonal color and harmonized design, focusing not on replicating Bouchet or any specific instrument, but on capturing and expressing the essence and feel of exceptional instruments, including Bouchet’s.