Fritz Ober – 2012 – La Leona

About the luthier

Fritz Ober was born in Rosenheim in 1955 and learned to play the guitar at an early age. He built his first instruments in the 70s based on guitar building books. Later he trained with the instrument maker Helmut Buchsteiner and initially focused on the construction of lutes. According to his own statements, the skills he acquired were decisive for his approach to guitar making, which was inspired by old masters such as Antonio de Torres.

About the guitar

This exceptional guitar is a highly accurate replica of the legendary La Leona, built by Antonio de Torres in 1856 (FE-04). Several features distinguish the original from the rest of Torres output: it was the first guitar Torres built with a tornavoz, producing such a large, resonant tone that it earned the name La Leona (The Lioness).It also features a lightweight, carved bridge with no saddle, meaning the strings run straight from the tie block to the nut without any break angle. Internally, the guitar lacks the lower harmonic bar, a brace normally essential for top stability. Instead, Torres ingeniously used two small wooden posts to support the tornavoz, resting against the backallowing the soundboard to resonate more freely while transferring vibrations throughout the entire body. The result is a guitar that vibrates across the top, back, and sides, offering a uniquely lively and resonant playing experience.In 2006, Fritz Ober encountered the original FE-04 La Leona when it came to him for minor repairs. Deeply impressed, he was given the opportunity to study and document the instrument over the course of a month in his workshopleading to what would become his first and possibly only replica project.Fritz built only a handful of these La Leona replicasperhaps around five in totalmaking this one of the rarest guitars he has ever made.This replica is true to the original, with only subtle adjustments: a slightly thicker neck, the inclusion of a saddle, and a headstock design suited to modern tuners (the original had pegs).Like the original, the guitar offers an exceptional tonal palette, rich dynamics, deep, resonant basses, and clear, singing trebles, with remarkable clarity across all registers.

Condition

The guitar is in excellent condition, with no structural issues and only minor playing wear. A faithful and masterful tribute to one of the most iconic guitars in history.