Soren Venema (Palm Guitars - Amsterdam)

 

                                      Just read the news that Soren Venema died much 

                                    too early in februari of this year (2021) Me and my 

                                       wife have very fond memories of a weekend in 

                                          Vichy together with him, visiting the Vichy 

                                        Auctions. Of course Soren had his source to buy 

                                      his stuff. "It all comes down to knowledge' is what 

                                      he always stated. "Try to get information from any 

                                         source and judge that with  your own common 

                                                                       sense." 

                      

                                         Moreover, we had a nice weekend there in the 

                                         beautiful city of Vichy, talking about business, 

                                       interesting instruments and we had a fine dinner 

                                          with conversation together. At the end of the 

                                        weekend he wished us good luck in  driving all 

                                        the way back to the Netherlands, giving with us 

                                         several instruments he bought there. "You have 

                                        to go for another 850 kilometres and I'm driving 

                                        to Clermont Ferrand to catch my plane and I will 

                                        be smoking a sigar at home while you people are 

                                         struggling to come back to the Netherlands". On 

                                         the moment of return it rained a lot in Vichy but 

                                          it was snowing in Clermont Ferrand so no plane 

                                          to catch back to the Netherlands. He generously 

                                             stated that. Being locked up in the South of 

                                                  France while we were already at home. 

  

                                            It characterizes his person being honest about 

                                                these details. Also still being excited about 

                                               meeting Candy Dulfer and her Father Hans 

                                               Dulfer in his shop in Amsterdam where we 

                                               finished some business we did together. We 

                                            were shocked to hear this news as a wonderful 

                                                    person left us! May he rest in peace.

Who's still in business and who is not. 2018

 

I recently visited Granada and in particular the Realejo district
where several guitar builders are situated. For example Rafael
Moreno Rodriguez who is 65 now and still is in business. And
together with him was Jose Lopez Bellido among others. He
stopped making guitars,  not really enthousiast about making them
anymore. I've asked how Juan Roman Padilla was doing. Well, they
said, it is really an old man now, stumbling behind a rollator. It
was a good thing from John Ray to add him to the still living luthiers.
Quite the opposite is Antonio Marin Montero who still is going
strong and still in business as he is still building guitars with Jose 

Marin Plazuelo. Allmost a miracle as he must be about 85 years
old now (he was born in 1933) Mr. Montero shares his workshop
with his son in law, Mr. Plazuelo. They both are concentrating 

on building guitars as the dust on the windows must have seen
the beginning and end of the second world war.

As John Ray's shop is quite close I paid him a visit as well. He
allways shares a lot of knowledge in his articles concerning what is
going on in Granada and in particular what interests him about all

kind of old school guitar builders besides of course the newer ones.
I showed him the odd modelled Juan Gomez Ramirez from 1917
I have in my posession.

At the end of 2018 the news came to us that Juan Roman Padilla has
passed away. Granada is a big city but the guitar builders alll know each
other and everyone will remember this modest luthier in his or her
own way....

The corner where Antonio Marin Montero is situated.

He was closed and you can try to have a look through the 

windows but it won't make you any wiser.... Gil de Avalle

is not far from there and he holds some interesting guitars

in his collection, including old Jose Ramirez instruments.

And of course the small shop from Casa Ferrer situated

at the Cuesta de Gomerez. I'm wondering how often they

have to hang another guitar outside the shop in 1 year...

On the corner with the Calle Animas Guitarreria Bitar

is situated. Good guitars allready for a reasonable price

built by hand through various workers. But the

the handbuilt ones built by the master luthier 

Ayman Bitar remains another story.

Chitara ( 2000 / 4000 years B.C.) Mesopotamie - Africa

A lot of Guitar related books start with a story about

the instrument and its' history. As a young guy, more 

interested in electric guitars I tend to overlook those

chapters but in fact they are interesting as well in the 

development of the guitar as it is to these days.

The "soundbox" consists of a turtle shell that has been

covered with what most likely was a goat skin. The neck

already was a "neck thru body" construction as it holds 

the 3 strings as well. In this case the strings are nylon

ones but in history they must have been made out of gut.

The strings can be tuned but weren't ment to be fingered

on a neck like this but acted as a drone.

And the tuning machine heads!

The carvings as have been done on this neck have a mere 

ornamental function and were probably different each time 

and in correspondance of a certain tribe that made them.

• The bridge construction consist of a simple wooden bow that
• has been been carved for the support of the three strings.
• 
  
• 

In the Forderer collection an identical example can be found 

on youtube however the "soundholes" made here are not present 

on that instrument. Probably a new invention later in time? 

As the Oud is a more well known predecessor of the guitar, 

I figured this simple instrument deserves a place here.

Vicente Arias Castellanos 1833 - 1914

A special Vicente Arias event has been held in Florence 2005.

This marks the growing popularity of this important builder.

There are 28 instruments known in existence all over the world.

13 instruments were to be seen at the event. Organized by
Stefano Grondona. I was invited but I had a performance.

As far as I know one of the 3 Vicente Arias guitars with a double 

back. I bought this one on a flea market in Belgium being not fully

aware of its' value and tonal qualities. Arias was the only luthier in the 
19th century whose work came close to rivaling that of Antonio de 
Torres. The other two double back guitars do have two holes in the
inner back and are both made in 1900. Javier Riba owns one in
pristine condition. It has never been out of Spain. Check youtube!
The Granada based luthier John Ray made a copy of that guitar.

Alberto Martinez made these pictures. They can be found in the

book he published around this luthier: "Vicente Arias, the

forgotten luthier". It contains state of the art pictures of several

guitars made by Vicente Arias. (You can order this work by 

searching for Orfeo Magazine.)

Vicente Arias liked the use of green in his bindings. He often

repeated himself but not in the design of his rosettes. Most of them

differ from each other.  The sides are bookmatched as can be seen.

The exquisit workmanship of Vicente Arias cannot

only be admired by the way he made his instruments:

His rosettes are a challenge as well!

When he had some trouble with his health he ordered 
two rosettes at Manuel Ramirez's workshop.

I haven't seen labels of the later guitars that had to be

built in Madrid so if someone comes up with a later

label picture I would be very pleased.

And here it is! Found on the internet.

This back shows us the typical darkcoloured Rio Palissander 

that was used being so common in the 19th century. 

The tuners are a replacements. I've French polished the 

back recently and probably will do the sides as well.

Own frequency of the soundox lies on a G what means

98 Hz which is quite low.

A nice shot of the inlay work on this guitar. 

For those who are willing to take a chance in copying

Vicente Arias: Feel free to use these measurements
and let me know your results!
But remember the thicknesses of the parts used
are thought to be very critical with this luthier.
Further in this blog better drawings with more
information regarding dimensions. In 2013 The Granadian
guitarreros John Ray finished a copy of the Arias of
Javier Riba. He ended up very close and as the lacquer
still has to loose its'  solvents it even will get better!

  

A view from the inside.

I hope that I pleased the forcers for Vicente Arias'
guitars to know a bit more about these remarkable guitars.
I still hope that someone comes up with a site dedicated to
this great luthier that also gives us the pictures of most of the
instruments of Arias still in existence. The double transverse
bracings in the lower bout have vanished in the other two
double back Vicente Arias guitars made in 1900.

Clearly visible here is the odd placing

of a double bar in the lower bout which is thought

not to be original but I doubt that regarding

the glue traces and the modelling of the bars.

After having restored a 1898 Vicente Arias

(a new fingerboard as the former restorer didn't

use the right scale ment by Arias) I discovered

the same double bar in the lower bout also

in this guitar. It has to be there!

I have this instrument for over thirty years now.
At the time I purchased it on a flea market I didn't
have the money to have it properly restored.
Though I'm a lot more expierenced now I certainly
would have had it done by restorers like 
Bernhard Kresse. But on this picture you can
see I did my best at that time not even being
aware it was such a valuable instrument.  


Some pictures taken during the restoration process:
Clamps placed on the outer back to prevent more
cracking in the future. The picture at the bottom
shows the guitar the way it came to me with a
partly loose back allready.

Worldwide I allready got a lot of requests to make some
drawings of this guitar with dimensions of course so here
they are. Please take notice that the two transverse bars in
the lower bout are supposed to be non original.This was a
remark Bernhard Kresse made but he immediately responded
that with this sound he would let it be this way. The stiffness 
of the spruce used for the top of this guitar has never been 
determined so I cant' answer that question.  The thickness has 
been mentioned on the drawing itself. According to John Ray 
the thickness of the soundboard is only 1,6 mm. I measured it 
around the sound hole which in fact is not reliable! Apart 
from that one must keep in mind that the soundboard is doomed 
a bit, a feature that makes it possible to construct even lighter.
Just behind the the bridge measurement of the "dooming'

proofs it to be 5 mm at both edges.

As has been stated earlier and can be seen from the

other pictures provided allready, this instrument has a double  

back. The inner back was made from one piece of wood

and it was completely flat as opposed to the outer back

that is convex as is still common. The space between the

two backs is around 15 mm. The depth of the soundbox

gradually goes from 90 to 95 mm (outer dimensions -

to lower bout.)

Francisco Esteve (Manuel Adalid!) / Nicolas Bonafon (around 1840)

Francisco Esteve Concert Model: Labelled "Francisco"

Definately a Francisco Esteve Concert guitar that has

been built by Manuel Adalid but with a rather disturbing

label as this guitar was made for the Spanish Guitar Centre

in Newcastle upon Tyne in Great Britain and thus bears

their label. Superior craftsmanship as can be admired

in the shaping of the rosette but also inner woodwork.

Price: € 1750,- (SOLD)

The round label looks a lot like the Tatay labels of that 

time. Probably no coincidence as Esteve worked for the 

Tatay company. Built in 1973 it is their 75th guitar

that year. Most likely numner 75 in this range.

At the bottom right the same rounded label can be seen

that is presented in this guitar. As was common these com-

panies often worked for Music shops and even other makers.

A beautiful back (and sides) this model is provided with.

It could even be Brasilian rosewood but we're not sure yet.

The upper picture has been taken after intensive French

polishing work that was needed to put it back in its'

old glory again. And thereby: It is a keeper.

A nice executed Rozette completes this furthermore

flawlessly built instrument. Inner woodwork is simply

of top quality. The golden Spanish Guitar Centre

label is sticked at the bottom. The soundboard is

strengthened with a traditional fan bracing and the

sound is as can be expected from a Valencian maker:

"Woody"  and with a kind of springyness and lots

of volume and tone colour.

The bridge has been provided with a 12 hole construction.

More easily to put on new strings but moreover, a better

angle over the bridge bone.

Hardly any traces of play wear though there is a slight

craquelé visible at close inspection. In fact normal 

regarding the age of this guitar.

Not any damges to the head that often occur when

placed against a wall.

The back and heel from another angle.

The tuners that work well.

The frets that are in a great condition and placed

in an ebony fingerboard.

The proof that this guitar was imported by the Spanish guitar 

center in England and for that reason got another label.

I did some investigations at first as I was blown away by its' 

sound qualities and already suspected it to be built by an

experienced luthier. I'll include the result of my E-mail

contact with the Francisco Esteve company here beyond.

You can click on it to enlarge this picture but the translation

has been placed here beyond for your convenience.

Good afternoon Noud,

 

I was quite certain but I wanted to verify with Manuel Adalid about this instrument.

“This guitar is how you can see a concert instrument, the best thing that I was doing 

in Esteve's workshop at the time. It's a concert guitar because of the constructive 

details that you correctly pointed out. These were made for the English house, the

Spanish Guitar Center”. We believe that all of it is finished in shellac, top and body.

 

It is possible that the overhead is from Palosanto de Río as well. It's a guitar on which

more than one luthier intervened and in which D. Manuel Adalid father (and the eldest)

did part of the work on it. It is artisan and entirely by hand. Today it would resemble a

60th Anniversary model, the most elaborate thing we do of concert models but with a

soundboard with a classic traditional system. 

 

The recommended retail price of the model new 60th Anniversary is about 6000 euros 

depending on the place due to taxes and rates of each country. You have a wonderful 

instrument and we hope you enjoy it. It seems to be in good condition.

 

Regarding the Elec model, it is a model that we continue to manufacture today and is 

the highest of range of electro-acoustic guitars with cut-away.

 

I hope it has helped you

 

Take good care of yourself and kind regards

 

Sergio Camargo

 

And what a surprise! We were able to buy a second one.

We already knew the quality of these guitars but we had

to pay a bit more alass.. This one is from 1971 and in

 a near mint condition. I decided to do some work on the 

neck as these were quite thick on both guitars. I know, 

not original anymore. For that reason I decided to sell 

the 1973 guitar. Soundwise they are similar. But this 

one remains in my collection. Scale 650 mm.

Not any damage on head and back. No cracks which is 

remarkable being more than 50 years old. Nr. 48.

And its' label of course stating that this guitar was being 

made in 1971 an possible was the 48th one in range.

Nicolas Bonafon

The fully restored Nicolas Bonafon guitar.

It has all the details of a mid 19th century guitar.

In my opinion most parts aren't original anymore .

It was quite common to modernize older instruments.

E.g. the hightened fingerboard and the head.

"Die Geigen- und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter

bis zur Gegenwart" is a very useful Dictionnary.

You can download it but it is not a very easy

task. It shows the following text:

Bonafon, Nicolas. — Paris. 18. Jahrhundert Eine Viola, 

die dem Aussehen nach dem Anfange des 18. 

oder Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts angehört haben dürfte, 

trug den Zettel : Abb. 49.

This is the one piece original back that was
too far gone. The wood insects also destroyed
that part of this instrument. The guitar has been 
gamma radiused so there aren't any living insects 
left,  hopefully! Regarding the age of this guitar: 
Suspects are that the fingerboard mounted up to 
the soundhole is not original. The Dictionnary 
"Vanne" mentions Bonafon as a Paris based luthier. 
A pochette (travel violin) is known to be made 
with the following label:

Nicolas Bonafon (sic) Luthier à Paris 1799
V. Etiquette n° 62."

For the back and sides I used the wood from

another older guitar that was of little value.

The orange colour I obtained with a staining process.

A close look at the bridge where I restored the

outer parts and even made new dots with ivory

inlays to have it close to it's original condition.

Even the soundboard is not free from wood
insect traces. Yet a wonderful sound!

The back of the head with the EON Tuners

with ebony tuning knobs. The design of this head

resembles that of some René Lacote guitars as well

as the later produced Thibouville Lamy instruments 
(around 1860) It is clearly visible that the head is not 
exactly centered with the neck. Suspects are that the 
head with these later tuners is an addition as well.

A nice picture of the sides that shows the uneven
depth of the soundbox along this instrument.

Here's the Bonafon guitar in its authentic situation.

The bridge ends have disappeared. The fingerboard
is in bad shape.The sides and back are too far gone

as a result from wood insects. Though this guitar 
was not that expensive, I decided to bring it back to 
life and in a playable condition. It was worth all that 
trouble! A nice warm and clear tone with remarkable

sustain comes from this instrument. Tonecolour and 
balance between the different strings proves to be 
absolutely astonishing.

On this picture you can see I removed the fingerboard

and back allready. I presumed the sides could be used

again but that would have been a lost case.

The back of this guitar also shows the holes

made by wood insects. The back was also
damaged too far especially on the ends.

It was a one piece back as can be seen

on other pictures I've included.

The original label on the new two piece back.
The wood came from an old german guitar
that was furthermore of little value.



The well known EON mechanics were fitted on
this instrument. Just by selling these ones I would
have all my investments in this guitar back! Note 
that the tuners appear to be mounted the wrong way.

In fact, no: This is the way these tuners work the
proper way. Compare this to the same tuners on 
the Thibouville Lamy guitar also on this site.

Again the old situation: The sides just broke off with
little effort. Also can be concluded that the insects
didn't "attack"  the guitar from the inside as the inner
soundboard was free from the small holes they cause.

Here are the newly made sides.

I bowed them with the soundboard plantilla as a model.
The original back that looked much better than it really was.

Still beautiful to look at as it has a fine grained and striped

piece of maple. (second picture)

To reassure people who really want to

stay close to the original. The poorly

conditioned inner part! This guitar would 
have ended as garbage and another reason is 
that there are numerous guitars of this age 
still in existance!

The back finished with the new wood parts.

The struts are the original ones but have been wettened
and put into a micro wave oven to kill possibly
remained wood insects. This procedure can be
done with all smaller parts but not metal!