Stephen Yates kindly spent a couple of days for us living with a Liikanen H Model. We were very grateful for the extremely thoughtfull way he approached his task and we reproduce highlights from his review here.

I first came across Liikanen guitars about a decade ago whilst looking for something to replace my erstwhile guitar (a Ramirez) and was struck by the playability and response of these instruments, not to mention their reasonable prices.

So I was more than a little interested to have the opportunity to put one through its paces now.

First, the appearance and build

This guitar is about as blonde as they come, sporting a beautifully pale spruce top contrasting with the dark indian rosewood back and sides. The overall impression is of a classical coolness which is further emphasized by a bluey green rosette that reminds one of a greco-roman mosaic.

The most significant aspect of the build of these guitars, however, is invisible from the outside. Liikananen use what is known as a "Lens Resonance System" under the bridge area which I can best describe as a circular disc some 20cm or so across that sits 1cm or so from the main top and produces a small chamber within a chamber (I think!).

The nut has a stagger on it to improve intonation, as does the saddle. Always welcome I feel but if you want a spare then you will need to think ahead. They do not come "off the peg" like this, particularly the nut.

On the playing feel

The overall impression is solid and secure. The strings do not want to fall off the neck nor do they go "splat" if you play too hard. The response is very fast and this adds zest to scales in a way that is always very pleasing.

Oh. What about the sound?

Well the first thing you notice is the bass. It is huge and provides a stark contrast to the delicacy of the trebles. Not that they are subdued at all. In fact the whole guitar has a punch that belies the delicate almost lute-like tonal character. I took it to a local hall and with Nick Mahoney standing at the back put it to the ultimate test. The hall in question was very reverbatative and yet one could scamper about the guitar's fingerboard (a rather too fast "La Catedral") and still be coherent. The big bass sounds no way obscured clarity or definition. Something, I have to say, that pleasantly surprised me.

If played with too much force the trebles could be a little brash and unlovely but I feel that this is an area that would improve with age anyway. Although the guitar is best suited, perhaps, to baroque music, this in no way suggests that it sounds wrong or ugly for Albeniz. In fact, although I should only review what I hear, the "play in" factor does need to be addressed. The guitar really feels as if it will improve with a few months attention and that can only be a further plus.

Drawbacks?

Well I suppose it could be accused of hypersensitivity. Squeaks and other finger noises are quite hard to subdue and if one hits the basses hard enough to get fret rattle then the effect is harsh and cold. But then one could change the brand of strings and anyway, isn't being a good player all about being able to control and contain such guitaristic foibles that can occur in the best of instruments?

My overall verdict

A very well rounded instrument that plays well and sounds well. For the price asked it is a lovely guitar.

Stephen Yates, Guitarist Composer, 1st March 2007.

Stephen has won several awards including Guitarist Magazine's 'Guitarist of the Year' and the Vicente Sanchis Guitar Challenge. As a classical player he performs a wide ranging repertoire from Baroque through Romantic to Contemporary works. Stephen's web site can be found at www.Stephenyatesguitaristcomposer.co.uk

(c) 2007 Stephen Yates and Classical Guitars PLUS.

Kauko Liikanen, the Luther read Stephen's review and wanted to make some further comments...

We are happy that Mr.Yates took the time to play our guitar. For luthiers it is always important to get a feedback and thanks to Stephen for his professional comments.

We have built classical guitars with the "Lens Resonance System" since the year 2000 and so far we have made about 230 guitars with this construction in our workshop in Helsinki. The guitars are played for 6 years now, they have aged very well and the sound has developed constantly.

The LRS soundboard has several braces glued across the grain of the wood. Historically this is not new - even lutes 300 years ago were braced in this way. This bracing allows controlling the stiffness of a thinner soundboard much better and it also prevents cracks in the soundboard itself. The overall thickness of the guitar top with the LRS is relatively thick - a maximum of 5-6mm. This gives it great strength but does not make it heavier than a traditional soundboard. The relation between the mass and stiffness is exceptionally good.

Nut and saddle compensations are made for better intonation. You never can use the nut bone "off the peg" unless you have a guitar "off the peg". The nut and saddle bones are very important to the guitar sound too. In case there is need to adjust or either replace one, we recommend contacting a professional Luthier to make new bones.

Kauko Liikanen
(Luthier)
Helsinki, 08.03.2007