Subtle beauty. Slinky setup, maximum clarity, aesthetics that showcase the quality of the materials, and the builder’s eye for curve and line. This 2022 Åstrand Å-SJ-C is a feat. Madagascar Rosewood body with Swiss Alpine Moonspruce top plus cutaway, satin neck, EVO frets, cosmo black Gotoh 510 tuners, wrapped in a Visesnut case. We would put this up against pretty much anything else at the shop; a fearsome instrument for the modern fingerstylist’s arsenal.

Other keywords/misspellings – fingerstyle, visnut, 592022, sweden, a-sj, florentine

Now this is a guitar for the ages. Ted Åstrand of Sweden is quickly becoming one of our favorite builders. This preowned Å-OM from 2018 is drop dead gorgeous for the eyes, ears, and even hands. Richly colored Madagascar Rosewood back and sides with a creamy Italian Spruce top, 25 inch scale, refined and elegant aesthetic—handsome. The voice is oh, so sweet. Clear from bass to treble, with smooth overtones and a crisp projection. It’s such an exquisite fingerstyle guitar! It practically plays itself with a slinky setup; and it really soaks up altered tunings too.


Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, fingerpicking, fingerstyle, clarity, balance

A Ted Åstrand guitar will bring you to tears. Flawless construction, understated and clean lines, and a voice that inspires at the first pluck. We’re smitten with this Å-SJ, the first SJ of Ted’s we’ve had in the shop. African Blackwood back and sides pair with an Alpine Moonspruce top and Ebony bindings, with a burl rosette and MOP “Å” at the headstock—the complete package is subtle and elegant. The tone is precise to a T, and so darn clean; a powerful fingerstyle guitar for Standard or Open Tunings.
This kind of lutherie is world class, and we couldn’t keep this Åstrand in the shop for long. Want the next one? Let us know! We’re happy to reserve our next slot with you.



Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, moon spruce, fingerpicking, fingerstyle, clarity, balance

In 2015 we met Swedish luthier Ted Astrand for the first time at the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, where were able to play two of his guitars, and bring one back to Dream Guitars to sell (it lasted all of about three days before it was sold). This year, we’ve acquired one of Ted’s most recent builds, a 2016 Å-OM African Blackwood and Italian Moon Spruce–and we’ve already found a home for this guitar, too!

Before we sent it to its new owner, we were able to photograph and record it at our showroom, and we’re very grateful for that: this guitar is an experience no one should pass up, given the opportunity. To start, the Honduran Mahogany neck has a satin neck that feel instantly familiar like your favorite old guitar, and the setup is dialed in for fingerstyle perfection; glass-smooth and low, buzz free, with a comfortable C profile for easy fretting.

Moving onto the body, you’re struck by the contrast of the inky dark grain of the African Blackwood against the cream tones of the Italian Moon Spruce top, and a quick glance under the hood via the soundport shows Ted‘s delicate bracing pattern that enables his tops to be so thin and so resonant. Across the fretboard you can see Ted’s collaboration with inlay artist Magnus Ramel, a piece they call “Particle Collision.”

The voice, now, the voice is something else entirely. The string to string balance is impeccable, perfect for the fingerstylist who needs a consistently even response across the fretboard without bass notes that overpower or shrill trebles. delicate overtones rise up from the middle and upper registers that color, but don’t dominate, the voice, and when we lowered the guitar into DADGAD and beyond, the tone remained crisp and well-focused. Needless to say, we cannot wait until the next Astrand guitar comes through our doors.

Ted Astrand approaches guitar building as a fine art: “I truly believe guitar-making to be an art form. Throughout the whole process of building a guitar I treat each object and peice of wood like its a piece of art.” If Astrand were a painter, his work would be characterized by smooth, graceful lines and the harmonious relationships of shapes. Luckily for us, Astrand’s chosen medium is the guitar, where his elegant aesthetic is given the opportunity to both inform the appearance and the voice of his work. The 2015 A-OM that we had in the store (for a matter of hours) has provided us with the first glimpse at his craftsmanship–and we wish we had a lifetime, instead. The voice is perfectly weighted between the steady, well-defined low-end and the shimmering trebles by a middle register which flows like silk. This guitar inspired thoughtful, introspective arrangements each time we played it. The instant you place the Madagascar Rosewood back and sides against your leg and ribs, the lightweight construction feels delicate, until you play your first chord and a rich, colorful tone bursts out of the Bearclaw European Spruce top. At that point, if you don’t feel something tugging at your heartstrings, you might not be human. Astrand’s 26th guitar is a resounding success as a fingerstylist’s companion, and as a work of art. We cannot wait until the next one falls into our lap.