NUMBER 800 (possibly 900)
As it arrived. The body is in wonderful condition but the bridge is cracked along its length. The owner told me that some years ago he had repaired the bridge with two part epoxy.
The guitar has modern t-shaped frets and the head has been modified at least three times. I suspect the original friction pegs were replaced by geared classical guitar machines with wide barrels. The holes for these have been filled and machines more suitable for a steel string guitar have been fitted. The barrels of these were not as long so a repairman added wood strips either side of the central member of the peg head. This is all just about visible in the photo.
The bridge had to be removed to be repaired. I chose to remove it before removing the back of the guitar as the instrument is more stable that way. Not only was there modern glue, but two screws had been added to hold the bridge down. The bridge came off in pieces, but is was a good opportunity to remove the epoxy.
Once the bridge was off, I removed the back from the guitar.
Left above, under the bridge, showing epoxy and the two added blocks for receiving the screws for the bridge. The glue and the blocks were removed. On the right above, the bars on the back are being re-glued. Below, the bridge partially restored and glued onto the soundboard.
Top and back ready to be re-united. This is a good time to photograph the label.
Left, filling the holes in the peg head and right, new tuning machines installed.
Close ups of the finished guitar. It is strung with Savarez Red Card strings and sounds wonderful.
Dimensions:
String length: c. 637mm
Overall Length: 930mm
Width of upper bout: 214mm
Width at waist: 165mm
Width at lower bout: 286mm
Height at upper bout: 83mm
Height at lower bout: 88mm
Nut width: 46mm
In July 2013 the guitar was purchased by a member of the prestigious Wittenberger Hofkapelle
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