The prototype of the universal guitar, built by the Huertgenwald guitar makerGoetz Burki, has a fan fret (multi-scale) in the scale from 63 to 66 cm. This scale allows the use of both a normal high e' string, which can be tuned up to a', and an 8th string, which can be used up to _A or even _G. The vertical fret (reference fret) is the 12th fret, since the slight incline of the first frets makes barré fingering much easier. There are 24 frets in total, which also appear in original works. There is also more leeway for the high notes in piano transcriptions. An extended cutaway ensures that the extra high notes are easily accessible. Thanks to the extended cutaway with a freely accessible neck up to the 17th fret, barre chords up to the 14th fret are possible, as is a capo on the 12th fret, which then transforms the universal guitar into an octave guitar. An integrated armrest enables relaxed practice and games. The unusual head shape is possible thanks to the use of Schaller banjo tuners. Orientation on the wider fretboard is made easier by using bronze frets on important positions. The sound hole has moved to the top left (left upper bout) for optical and tonal reasons. This allows for a significantly larger vibrating ceiling area and the player can hear themselves much better, even in unfavorable acoustic environments. 

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Special possibilities of the universal guitar

For the Brahms guitar tuning (a' e' hgd AE _A) it has to be completely re-stringed. The first string on a' works best with a Hannabach yellow string (super low tension). Music for romantic guitar is ideally playable (original works often have extremely high notes, up to e''').