A premium guitar occupies a world of its own. It is not simply an instrument with better materials or a higher price tag. It is a living, evolving piece of craftsmanship shaped by wood, hands, time, and the player who eventually brings it to life.
For advanced and professional players, this individuality is not a romantic detail. It is the difference between an instrument that merely produces notes and one that responds, breathes, projects, and becomes part of musical expression. At Riento Guitars, no two handmade instruments are expected to be identical. Even when two guitars are built by the same luthier, from similar guitar tonewoods, with the same model concept, they will never become exact copies of each other. That is not a flaw in the process. It is the point.
A handmade guitar differs from a factory-made instrument in every meaningful way: the materials, the working method, the philosophy, the final adjustment, and ultimately the sound. To understand why, we spoke with luthier Ville-Veikko Ponkiniemi, the maker behind Riento Guitars Luthier models, whose approach combines tradition, intuition, and a deep respect for the organic nature of wood.
Content
1. Wood Is Alive — And That’s Where the Story Begins
2. The Soundboard Is Not a Part — It Is a System
3. Tradition Matters, But Craft Matters More
4. Handmade Craftsmanship: One Builder, One Vision
5. Why Handmade Guitars Sound and Feel Different
6. The Player’s Role: Sound Comes From Hands, Not Just Wood
7. Choosing a Premium Guitar as an Advanced Player
8. Why Premium Handmade Guitars Are Worth It
9. Chart: Factory Guitar vs Premium Handmade Guitar
10. Conclusion: A Guitar With a Life of Its Own
11. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
1. Wood Is Alive — And That’s Where the Story Begins
Every handmade guitar starts with wood, and wood is never neutral.
Before it becomes part of a concert guitar, wood has already lived through storms, sunlight, drought, humidity, cold, and seasons of growth. These experiences are written into its structure. Even two slices from the same tree can behave like different materials.
One year, a tree may grow slowly in dry conditions. Another year, it may absorb more moisture and develop a wider growth ring. A tree standing in a shaded forest grows differently from one exposed to open sun and wind. These variations affect density, stiffness, elasticity, weight, and resonance, all of which influence how a guitar responds.
“You can make two tops from the same board,” Luthier Ponkiniemi explains, “and they can still end up completely different. Wood is organic. It has lived a life before it becomes an instrument.”
This is one of the key reasons why a premium guitar can never be a carbon copy of another. The luthier does not simply force the material into a fixed formula. Instead, they study it, feel it, listen to it, and adjust the build according to what the wood allows.
Factories aim for controlled repetition. Handmade instruments embrace controlled individuality.
2. The Soundboard Is Not a Part — It Is a System
For professional classical guitars, the top is often the heart of the instrument. It is not just a flat piece of spruce, cedar, or another tonewood. It is a vibrating system.
The soundboard, bracing, bridge, thicknessing, stiffness, air volume, back response, neck angle, and setup all interact. A small adjustment in one area can change the entire behavior of the guitar.
For an advanced player, this is where the difference becomes obvious. Two guitars may both have spruce tops and rosewood backs and sides, yet one may have a quick, immediate attack while another offers a slower bloom and greater sustain. One may produce a focused, singing treble. Another may have a broader, darker palette. One may reward a light right hand, while another may need more energy before it opens fully.
This is why the choice of wood matters, but they do not tell the whole story.
The species of wood gives the builder a starting point. The real voice of the guitar is created through voicing, balance, structure, and final adjustment.
Case study: Lens Resonance System®
At, the patented <Lens Resonance System®> (LRS) is used to strengthen and optimize the top. While traditional fan bracing can sometimes restrict the soundboard’s vibration or create uneven, harsh “wolf notes,” LRS uses a unique oval-patterned bracing structure concentrated directly around the bridge area. Acting much like an acoustic lens, it distributes vibration energy more evenly across the top, allowing the wood to vibrate more freely.
For the advanced player, this optimization means the soundboard responds with exceptional sensitivity. It delivers powerful projection, deep sustain, and precise balance, qualities often associated with high-end double-top guitars, while retaining the organic, breathing warmth of a traditionally crafted solid top.
In the Riento Luthier model, an ongoing development project is exploring how the Lens Resonance System® can be combined with a double-top “sandwich” structure.
3. Tradition Matters, But Craft Matters More
Classical guitars have long been associated with certain combinations: spruce or cedar tops, rosewood backs and sides, and cedar or mahogany necks. These choices exist for good reasons. They are proven, familiar, and deeply connected to the classical guitar tradition.
But tradition can also become too rigid.
Some players assume that a certain wood species automatically produces a certain sound. Cedar is often described as warm and immediate. Spruce is often associated with clarity and headroom. Rosewood is linked to depth and complexity. Maple may be described as transparent and quick.
These descriptions can be useful, but they are not absolute rules.
“The wood has to be structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing,” the luthier says. “Beyond that, I don’t obsess over species. Craftsmanship shapes the sound more than the label on the wood.”
This is an important idea for advanced players. A guitar is not made by the name of the wood. It is made by how that wood is selected, joined, thicknessed, braced, voiced, finished, and set up.
A well-built handmade guitar from carefully selected materials can easily surprise a player who judges instruments only by traditional wood combinations.
4. Handmade Craftsmanship: One Builder, One Vision
In a factory, many workers may work on the same instrument. One person may install binding all day. Another sands tops. Another glues braces. Another performs setup work. This creates efficiency and consistency, but it also separates the process into isolated tasks.
A luthier works differently.
“I choose every piece of wood myself,” Luthier Ponkiniemi says. “I thickness the top by feel, tune the bracing, shape the neck, and adjust the guitar as it develops. My handwriting is in every part of the instrument.”
This is one of the strongest differences between a factory-made guitar and a handmade guitar. In a handmade process, the builder carries the whole instrument in their mind from the first wood selection to the final stringing.
The luthier is not only assembling parts. They are making decisions continuously:
How stiff is this top across the grain?
How much mass should remain near the bridge?
How flexible should the upper bout be?
How does the back contribute to the overall response?
Does the neck profile support long professional use?
Does the guitar need more openness, more focus, more resistance, or more sustain?
Some steps can be assisted by machines. A rough outline can be cut with precision. Certain repetitive tasks can be prepared efficiently. But the decisive work remains human: voicing, thicknessing, brace shaping, neck feel, binding, final response, and setup.
The future may bring more hybrid workflows, but the heart of a premium guitar will always remain in the hands and ears of the maker.
5. Why Handmade Guitars Sound and Feel Different
A premium guitar is not only about tone. It is about response.
For advanced players, the most important question is often not “Does this guitar sound beautiful?” but “Can I control it?”
A serious instrument must allow the player to shape color, articulation, dynamics, vibrato, separation, sustain, and projection without unnecessary resistance. It must speak clearly in soft passages, remain stable under strong playing, and offer enough dynamic range for demanding repertoire.
“You shouldn’t have to fight the guitar,” the luthier says. “A good instrument lets you express yourself effortlessly.”
This is why players should try several handmade instruments before choosing one. Even instruments built from similar guitar woods, in the same workshop, by the same hands, may feel and sound different.
One guitar may open immediately under a light touch.
Another may reward a stronger right hand and produce greater projection.
One may have a wide, enveloping resonance ideal for solo playing.
Another may offer a clearer midrange that works beautifully in ensemble settings.
One may have a darker, more intimate voice.
Another may deliver a bright, focused treble that carries through a hall.
For professional players, these differences are not small. They affect phrasing, repertoire choice, practice comfort, recording behavior, and stage confidence.
A handmade guitar is not a universal tool. It is a personal match.
6. The Player’s Role: Sound Comes From Hands, Not Just Wood
At the highest level, the player shapes the sound more than the instrument. A great guitarist will still sound like themselves whether they play a world-class concert guitar or a modest student instrument.
But that does not mean the instrument is unimportant.
A premium guitar does not replace technique. It reveals it. It gives the player more possibilities, but it also exposes more detail. A professional instrument responds to small changes in nail angle, contact point, attack speed, pressure, vibrato, and release. It allows the player to create more color, but it also demands more control.
“A great player can’t get the same result from a guitar with less resonance,” Luthier Ponkiniemi notes. “The instrument has to respond. It has to project. It has to support the musician.”
This is especially important in demanding environments such as concert halls, chamber music, competitions, recording sessions, and advanced teaching. A guitar with limited resonance or restricted dynamic range may still be pleasant to play at home, but it may not give a professional player enough room to shape sound under pressure.
A premium guitar offers responsiveness, tonal depth, projection, and dynamic headroom. These qualities allow the player’s musical voice to come forward with less physical effort.
7. Choosing a Premium Guitar as an Advanced Player
For advanced and professional players, choosing a handmade guitar should be a musical decision, not only an aesthetic or technical one.
The best guitar is not always the loudest. It is not always the darkest, brightest, newest, or most expensive. The right guitar is the one that supports your playing style, repertoire, sound concept, and professional needs.
Before choosing, consider your main musical context:
If you play solo concerts, you may need projection, color range, sustain, and a wide dynamic spectrum. The instrument must carry melody lines clearly and give enough resonance for lyrical repertoire.
If you play chamber music, clarity and balance may matter more than raw volume. A guitar that blends well, speaks quickly, and avoids excessive bass bloom can be extremely valuable.
If you record often, note separation, low noise, tuning stability, and tonal consistency across the fingerboard become especially important.
If you teach professionally, comfort, reliability, and a responsive setup may matter as much as concert-level power.
If you play contemporary repertoire, you may need an instrument with strong articulation, wide color control, and structural stability under extended techniques.
A handmade guitar should be tested slowly. Play familiar repertoire. Play quietly. Play loudly. Test the upper register. Listen to the bass response. Check how the trebles sing. Notice whether the guitar encourages relaxation or tension.
A premium guitar should not force you to adapt completely to it. It should meet you halfway and then invite you further.
8. Why Premium Handmade Guitars Are Worth It
A handmade guitar carries responsibility. The luthier’s name is on the headstock or label, and every decision reflects their skill, taste, and judgment.
Every brace, curve, thickness, joint, and setup detail matters. This level of attention is difficult to reproduce in mass production, where the goal is often consistency, speed, and cost control.
A premium handmade instrument is built slowly and intentionally. It is not only assembled. It is interpreted. The luthier responds to the material, adjusts the design, and accepts that each guitar must become itself.
For a professional player, this value is practical as well as artistic. A well-made premium guitar can offer:
Greater dynamic range
More refined tonal color
Better response under the right hand
Improved projection
More complex sustain
Greater comfort during long playing sessions
A more personal musical identity
A stronger connection between player and instrument
This does not mean every handmade guitar is automatically better than every factory guitar. The maker still matters. The design matters. The setup matters. The final result matters.
But at its best, a handmade instrument offers something that industrial production cannot fully replicate: a unified artistic vision.
9. Chart: Factory Guitar vs Premium Handmade Guitar
| Area | Factory-Made Guitar | Premium Handmade Guitar |
| Main goal | Consistency, efficiency, repeatability | Individual voice, response, musical refinement |
| Wood selection | Graded and selected for production needs | Chosen individually by the luthier for each instrument |
| Top thicknessing | Usually based on standard specifications | Adjusted according to stiffness, weight, and response |
| Bracing | Built to a repeatable pattern | Voiced and refined for the specific soundboard |
| Builder involvement | Many people handle separate tasks | One maker or small workshop guides the whole instrument |
| Sound character | More predictable, often less individual | Unique, complex, and responsive |
| Player experience | Reliable but sometimes less personal | More interactive and expressive |
| Best suited for | Beginners, students, general use | Advanced players, professionals, serious musicians |
| Long-term identity | Designed to match a model standard | Develops as a personal instrument with its own voice |
10. Conclusion: A Guitar With a Life of Its Own
A premium guitar is more than the sum of its parts. It is shaped by the life of the wood, the vision of the luthier, and the hands of the player who brings it into sound.
No two handmade instruments will ever be exactly the same. That individuality is not a weakness. It is what makes them extraordinary.
Even after the guitar leaves the workshop, its story is not finished. A handmade guitar continues to develop as it is played. The wood, finish, structure, and vibrating system gradually settle. The top can become more responsive, the tone can open, and the instrument can begin to feel increasingly personal.
It is a little like breaking in a pair of high-quality leather shoes. At first, they may already be beautiful, but with regular use they begin to shape themselves to you.
The specific woods settle into their role. The instrument grows into its full voice. The player learns its strengths, its colors, its resistance, and its possibilities.
A factory guitar is often built to be the same as the one before it.
A premium handmade guitar is built to become itself.
And when the right player finds the right instrument, that is where the real life of the guitar begins.
11. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Why are no two handmade guitars exactly the same?
Because wood is organic. Even pieces from the same tree can differ in density, stiffness, weight, and resonance. A luthier adjusts the construction according to the behavior of each individual piece of wood, which means every handmade guitar develops its own character.
Does the type of wood determine the sound?
Guitar woods influence the sound, but they do not determine everything. The builder’s craftsmanship, bracing, thicknessing, setup, and voicing are just as important. A wood species gives the luthier a starting point, but the final voice comes from the entire instrument.
Is a handmade guitar always better than a factory-made guitar?
Not automatically. A handmade guitar depends on the skill, experience, and taste of the maker. However, a well-built handmade instrument can offer a level of responsiveness, individuality, and refinement that factory production rarely achieves.
Why do professional players choose premium guitars?
Professional players need instruments with projection, dynamic range, tonal depth, comfort, and reliable response. A premium guitar gives them more control over color, articulation, phrasing, and expression, especially in concert halls and recording situations.
Should advanced players try several handmade guitars before choosing one?
Yes. Even guitars built by the same luthier can feel and sound different. One instrument may suit a light touch, while another may respond better to a stronger attack. Trying several guitars helps the player find the best personal match.
What is the difference between a concert guitar and a student guitar?
A student guitar is usually designed for durability, affordability, and general playability. A concert guitar is built for advanced musical demands: greater projection, richer tonal color, stronger dynamic range, and more refined response.
Do handmade guitars improve with playing?
Many handmade guitars become more open and responsive with regular playing. The instrument settles, the vibrating system becomes more active, and the player also learns how to bring out its best qualities.
Is volume the most important quality in a professional classical guitar?
No. Projection matters, but volume alone is not enough. A professional classical guitar should also offer clarity, balance, sustain, color range, responsiveness, and control across the entire fingerboard.
How should I test a premium guitar?
Play slowly and listen carefully. Test soft dynamics, strong attacks, upper-register melody, bass clarity, sustain, chord balance, and comfort. Use music you know well so you can focus on how the guitar responds rather than on the notes.
What makes a Riento handmade guitar different?
A Riento handmade guitar is built as an individual instrument, not as a copy of a fixed formula. The luthier selects the wood, voices the structure, shapes the neck, and adjusts the guitar according to its own developing character. The result is an instrument with a personal voice and a life of its own.