Steven Walter - 2024 Millenium No. 345
Steven Walter - 2024 Millenium No. 345
Overview
Overview
Steven Walter is a renowned classical guitar builder and performing artist, a rare combination in the musical world. His journey began in the suburbs of Chicago, where early experiences in rock bands and an inspiring performance by Andrés Segovia sparked his passion for classical guitar. Encouraged by his parents, Walter built his first guitar as a teenager and later pursued music degrees at Augustana College, the Boston Conservatory, and Florida State University, where he honed both his playing and building skills. Although his early guitars were rudimentary, his understanding of guitar craftsmanship grew as he gained access to fine instruments during his studies. In 1991, Walter was a prizewinner at the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Solo Guitar Competition. By the mid-1990s, after years of performing and teaching, he resumed building guitars full-time, reaching a level of craftsmanship that surpassed the instruments he had played for years. After a successful teaching career at Furman University, he returned to the Chicago area in 2015 to focus primarily on guitar building. To date, Walter has built over 300 classical guitars, in addition to various other instruments, and continues to balance private teaching and performances.
Walter, one of the privileged few authorized by Thomas Humphrey to employ his distinctive guitar-making style, has crafted instruments that exemplify profound musical inspiration drawn from years of playing a Humphrey guitar. His adaptation of the true Millennium design transcends the mere addition of an elevated fingerboard, incorporating a sophisticated geometry that enhances both the projection and the nuanced character of the sound. This design also facilitates playing in upper positions, and includes optional sound ports that many players believe enhance the volume and fullness of the tone.
The Walter guitars are characterized by the Defined Resonating Area concept, which strategically confines primary vibrations to an acoustically optimal area of the soundboard. This unique approach yields a sound that is exceptionally clear and focused, enriched with vibrant clarity and color. This brand-new guitar boasts exceptional playability, warm yet clear trebles courtesy of its cedar soundboard, and a volume that adeptly handles any playing situation, due to the all-wood lattice bracing system for structural integrity and sound enhancement, making it a truly astounding instrument in every regard.
Luthier: | Steven Walter |
Construction year: | 2024 |
Construction type: | Lattice |
Top: | Cedar |
Back and sides: | Indian rosewood |
Finish: | French polish |
Air body frequency: | F # / G |
Scale: | 650 mm |
Nut: | 51 mm |
Weight: | 1540 grams |
Tuners: | Klaus Scheller |
Strings: | Knobloch - EDC 34.0 |
Condition: | New |






















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