Hanika
Hanika
Also known as: Hanika Guitars, Hanika Gitarren, Helmut Hanika, Armin Hanika
UnclaimedHanika is a German classical guitar maker based in Baiersdorf, Bavaria. The company was founded in 1953 by Helmut Hanika, whose family came from a long line of instrument makers in Schönbach (Egerland) before resettling in the Bubenreuth area after the war. Helmut trained in violin making under his grandfather Anton Mayer and earned his master craftsman title in plucked instruments in Nuremberg...
Hanika is a German classical guitar maker based in Baiersdorf, Bavaria. The company was founded in 1953 by Helmut Hanika, whose family came from a long line of instrument makers in Schönbach (Egerland) before resettling in the Bubenreuth area after the war. Helmut trained in violin making under his grandfather Anton Mayer and earned his master craftsman title in plucked instruments in Nuremberg in 1966. The workshop initially produced a variety of guitar types under the "SOLI" name and through resellers like Otto Gläsel and Willy Hödl, before shifting in the mid-1960s to focus on classical concert guitars sold under the Helmut Hanika name.
The business is now run by Armin Hanika, the founder's son, who became Nuremberg's youngest master craftsman in plucked instrument making in 1987 and has continued the family tradition with the help of a trained workshop team and modern machinery. The lineup is organized into four tiers: the entry-level Studio Line, the mid-range Recital Line, the higher-end Concert Line, and the top-tier Professional Line of master-built instruments. Hanika is associated with several construction approaches found across its higher models, including lattice-braced soundboards, double-top construction, inverted bridges, and a pierced headstock design.
The brand has a steady presence in the European classical guitar market and is carried by specialist dealers such as Siccas Guitars, Thomann, and the Classical Guitar Store. Vintage Helmut Hanika instruments from the 1970s and 1980s — including models such as the M-17, Model 18, and Model 28 — also turn up regularly on the secondhand market.
Hanika has 4 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Classical & Nylon-String Guitars.
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