Birdfish Guitar

In the spring of 1995 Ulrich Teuffel presented the Birdfish for the first time at the Frankfurt MusikMesse.
Since then, the guitar has become widely recognized. It has appeared in many books and is part of numerous private guitar collections. The British magazine "Guitarist" named it one of the most important guitars of the 20th century. The Birdfish has won three design awards and is on display in several museums. It is played by musicians such as David Torn, Henry Kaiser, Hans Zimmer, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Page Hamilton, Kirk Hammett, Amir Derakh, and many others.

Birdfish Guitar

Spunwheel

Specifications

Teuffel's original idea was to build a guitar constructed in a way that the fundamental elements — the tonewoods and the pickups — could be assembled in a modular fashion. This design not only allows for unlimited tonal possibilities but also produces a very lively and percussive tone.

Since 1995, he has overhauled the Birdfish in four stages, being very careful not to alter its identity. Limited Edition

The body consists of two tonebars that are screwed onto the central elements "bird" and "fish". The neck is bolted onto the upper "bird" element, while the lower "fish" element carries the control box containing the guitar electronics. A rail between the "bird" and "fish" holds the slideable pickups. All three pickups can be exchanged with each other in seconds.

Teuffel manufactures all of the hardware parts (including some of the screws) in his workshop in small batches according to his exact requirements. This ensures that all parts harmonize perfectly.

Length: 850 mm (33.46 inches)
Width: 415 mm (16.34 inches)
Thickness: 140 mm (5.51 inches)

Length: 780 mm (30.71 inches)
Width: 320 mm (12.61 inches)
Thickness: 60 mm (2.36 inches)

With maple tonebars: 3.1 kg (6.83 lbs)
With alder tonebars: 2.9 kg (6.39 lbs)

MB&F Curated Artists

Ulrich Teuffel

His great-grandfather was engineer, his grandfather was an engineer, his father is an engineer, his second grandfather was a cabinetmaker, his uncle is a cabinetmaker, his granduncle was a painter, so what was Ulrich Teuffel to do? Becoming an accountant has never been his ambition. An inventor was a bit more his style!

About the artists