Hans Reichel

Born Hagen, Germany, 10 May 1949, died Wuppertal 22 November 2011; guitar, daxophone; composer; inventor and luthier; designer.

Hans Reichel first gained notoriety in the '70s as an improviser playing highly customized guitars. A consummate craftsman, Reichel began building his own stringed instruments — which occasionally featured multiple bridges and necks — from exotic woods. The results are as sonically unique as they are visually striking. His most important invention, however, is the daxophone, a collection of elaborately shaped wooden sticks played with a bow and a fretted wedge. The instrument has an animalistic vocal quality, and Reichel enjoys creating choruses of these voices for his compositions.