BERSTECHER guitars bear my family name, and they are the result of my many years of experience as a musician and guitar maker. When I began my training as a concert and flamenco guitar maker in 1995, it didn’t take long for me to realize that the main difference between a factory-made guitar and a guitar fashioned by a master craftsman lies in its dynamic qualities. The greater the dynamic range of an instrument, the more a gifted musician will be able to express with it. Strangely enough, this principle appears to hardly play a role at all for electric guitar manufacturers, although electric amplification should only serve to enhance the sensitivity and thus the dynamic range of the instrument. This led me to believe that there is clear room for improvement here. I thus began searching for a way to transfer the dynamic qualities found in the world of concert guitars to the electric guitar in order to enable an ultra-sensitive, musical playing style. I wanted the instruments to sound vibrant, pulsating and yet lively – at maximum as well as at minimum output. I wanted to create an impression of depth like that otherwise found only in the visual domain of 3D technology. Unfortunately, the sound of most instruments available on the market is disappointingly flat in this discipline.
Michael Berstecher
The Berstecher Deluxe Vintage model comes astoundingly close to achieving this goal. Mr. Häussel's BigMag single coils with their gigantic magnets create a sensational, warm dynamic pressure, similar to that of a P90 pickup. The resonant frequency of the BigMag is considerably higher, however, allowing it to retain the typical character of the ST. For high gain amplifier settings, Häussel's VIN+ B A5 humbucker with Alnico5 magnets is available. This powerful and well-balanced vintage sounding humbucker can also be split as needed. The sound of the mahogany body is clear as a bell, lending an additional dose of warmth to the Deluxe Vintage. The deliberate absence of a muting tremolo system and the string-through body provide for the necessary sustain. The ebony fingerboard gives the instrument a degree of musical articulation and lightness (overtones) that would be almost impossible to achieve with maple. All in all, the Deluxe Vintage delivers a sound that is ST-like and very warm. The basses are extremely resonant and warm. The responsiveness is excellent, the articulation sensational, and the dynamic range truly more than enormous.
Website: BERSTECHER GUITARS
BERSTECHER guitars are made from FSC cerified woods only.
