1849 LOUIS PANORMO
NUMBER 1942
A Panormo that has been in the family for many years and is to be fully restored.
The guitar as it arrived. The major problem appears to be the extraordinary number of splits in the sides. The soundboard is in very good condition.
The first job is to remove, clean and lubricate the machine heads. These Baker machines came up well.
In order to repair the ribs, I needed remove the back, always a troublesome job as the back is made of pine with a Brazilian rosewood veneer. The back is eventually tidied and my own label added where it can be read through the sound hole, but is not immediately obvious. This is a good time to photograph Mr. Panormo's label.
Once the back was finished, I began work on the sides. On the left, a photo of part of the inside of a rib showing the cracks in the wood, other damage and previous failed repairs. The Brazilian rosewood sides had many cracks and splits. In the middle, the repaired side reinforced with linen. The mahogany side supports have broken off and the last photo shows a replacement.
The body repaired and ready for the back. The guitar arrived with only one mother-of-pearl dot at the bridge. It was unlike any other Panormo bridge decoration I have seen and it might have been a shirt button or stud. I made a pair of identical dots for the bridge.
The guitar restored and fully playable in July 2018.
Dimensions:
String length: 632mm
Overall Length: 937mm
Width of upper bout: 240mms
Width at waist: 182mm
Width at lower bout: 298mm
Height at upper bout:90mm
Height at lower bout: 97mm
Nut width: 46mm
Distance between 12 fret and 1st string; 2.7mm
Distance between 12 fret and 6th string; 3.1mm
Weight: 1.04kg