Michel Bélair studied classical guitar in the 1980s and 1990s and played Daniel Friederich guitars. While studying in Paris he met Friederich many times at his workshop and commissioned a new guitar. At the same time Bélair decided to make his own - with the help of his friend the luthier Jean Rompré. Since then he has made precise measurements of several Friedrich guitars which he uses to make his own Friedrich style models. Bélair also uses an engineering approach to carefully measure the stiffness and Q-factor of his woods - this allows him to match braces and tops to specific stiffness.

Source: Michel Bélair website (20 January 2022)