Krautster
NiK HuBer
BY ChRIs BURGEss
Pop quiz: Germany’s Nik Huber is ________.
A. A luthier known among boutique
guitar enthusiasts for his opulent tops
and lavish appointments and inlay work
heckuva nice guy
C. A luthier who builds no-nonsense
guitars for serious players
D. All of the above
Junior and Special or his Huberian twist on
the Tele with the Twangmeister—they know
Nik Huber guitars will still manifest the
same uncommon quality that came with the
Dolphin and Orca guitars. Now make way
for the Krautster.
The answer, of course, is D (I didn’t say it
was a trick pop quiz). The fact that Huber is
a player probably has a lot to do with the
fact that all the guitars he and his
team make are serious business,
whether they’re lavish instru-
ments or not. That’s not to say
that those who don’t play guitar
can’t make a great guitar—there’s
plenty of evidence to shoot down
that claim—but simply that Huber
and his crew must know firsthand
that if the guitar doesn’t deliver
the good stuff during a perfor-
mance, it’s bound to end up
neglected no matter how
good it looks. And that’s
likely the reason why so
many Huber fans have
welcomed without hesi-
tation his more recent
venture into models
that embody a no-frills,
minimalist aesthetic.
Even though he’s turned
some of his attention (but
not all of it) away from
those gorgeous tops and
toward more bare-bones rock-
ers—like his classic take on the
Ich Bin Krautster
It’s simplest to say that Huber’s intention to disguise the Krautster as a purely
plain and practical guitar hasn’t entirely
succeeded, because despite the humble,
stripped-down look the guitar portrays to
an audience, it still betrays enough conspicuous craftsmanship to treat the eyes,
hands and ears of the player who straps it
on. The overall look is an understated cool,
with its worn, satin-black finish and tastefully cut three-ply pickguard. The single
Custom Humbucker, made by Häussel, is
housed in an aged nickel cover to match
the look of the aged Nik Huber aluminum
stoptail bridge. The only other feature on
the face of the guitar is the single black
bell Volume knob. The Krautster is not
exactly “adorned” the way some of Huber’s
guitars are. Look a little closer, though,
and thoughtful details appear. The cream
binding matches the cream pickup mounting ring and the expertly cut bone nut, the
dot inlays are abalone, and the fretwork
appears to be perfect.
www.premierguitar.com
PREMIER GUITAR MAY 2010 159
