Dominique Field is internationally recognized as one of the great French luthiers to emerge in recent years. His instruments are so universally popular and unique that customers wait years for them. Leading international concert artists who have played his guitars include: Eduardo Isaac (Argentina), Ivan Rijos, Eladio Scharron and Earl Klugh (USA), Akiko Saito and Masahiro Ojiri (Japan) Vladimir Mikulka (Czech Republic), Johan Fostier (Belgium), Catherine Liolios (France) and Carsten Pedersen (Denmark). Scott Tennant and Adam Holzman have signed up to Field’s waitlist in the past. The important collector, Sheldon Urlik, more recently acquired a Field guitar as well.
As a performance student of the classical guitar in the 1970s, Field found himself less focused on the repertoire and more drawn to the aesthetic beauty and physical structure of the guitar. His guitar teacher introduced him to superbly crafted guitars, including Fleta and Bouchet.
At this same time, Field also had the opportunity to play other great makers, including Hauser I and Hernandez y Aguado. The exposure to such fine instruments not only inspired the artistic design of his own guitars but also taught him how to recognized and create remarkable sound. Although Field draws largely on Hauser and Bouchet for aesthetics, it can be stated that his tone his uniquely his.
Field’s guitars have enormous dynamic range and tremendous power. The tone is very clear (counterpoint is an important concept for Field) and yet very sweet and lyrical. The quality of sound, ease of playability and physical beauty have made Field’s guitars extremely desirable to performers and collectors everywhere. As a consequence, they have become very difficult to obtain due to his lengthy wait list. GSI is extremely proud to be his exclusive worldwide dealer.
Orfeo Magazine #7 – French School Luthiery
The latest issue of Orfeo magazine is out in English, and it deals with the French school of luthiere. Focusing on Dominique Field, Jean-Noël Rohé, Olivier Fanton D’andon and Thomas Norwood, the magazine asks the question: “Is there a unified French School of luthiery?”. As always, the photography is gorgeous. You can check out the entire issue of Orfeo Magazine #7 here.
