Ulrich Teuffel | Revolutionary Guitar Design & Culture Pt. 1

Life With Strings Attached

Today's episode of Life with Strings Attached was filmed on location in southern Germany, in the workshop of Ulrich Teuffel.
Since 1988, Ulrich (Uli to his friends) has been crafting electric guitars unlike any other luthier. In bringing together a unique blend of his training as an automotive mechanic and his studies in industrial design from the 1990s, he's created innovative models—Birdfish, Tesla, Niwa, and Antonio—that are radically independent, yet always follow a distinctive leitmotif.
These masterpieces are found in prestigious museums and collections, as well as in the hands of legendary musicians like David Torn, Kirk Hammett, Billy Gibbons, Henry Kaiser, Ludwig Göransson, and Hans Zimmer.
For Ulrich Teuffel, Leo Fender stands as the most influential guitar maker of the 20th century. In the eyes of many contemporary guitar makers, Teuffel's work exists on its own plane, elevated to a level that few can aspire to.
Personally, for me, Uli has been an inspiring colleague and friend. Together, we explore concepts and ideas that stretch and challenge each other, feeding both our minds and souls. I find conversations with Uli exceptionally invigorating. I hope you will too.

Chapter

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. German music culture (00:01:57)

3. New world and old world historical perspective (00:07:44)

4. US and UK development of pop and rock (00:11:22)

5. Early musical influences (00:19:24)

6. Teuffel designs are timeless (00:28:21)

7. A word from our sponsor (00:32:04)

8. Teuffel designs are timeless cont. (00:32:29)

9. The evolution of guitar colours (00:43:10)

10. Importance of the Ibanez JEM (00:47:28)

11. A word from our sponsor (01:01:08)

12. Importance of the Ibanez JEM cont. (01:01:34)

13. The Nineties and rejecting perfection (01:09:36)