Garrido labelled guitar / German Parlor Guitar / D. Julian Gomez Ramirez / Lucien Gelas guitar

Guitar distributed by Casa Garrido in Madrid, Spain, 

Garrido worked with several builders from different parts 

of Spain, such as Ricardo Sanchís, Juan Estruch, Modesto 

Borreguero, Telesforo Julve, among others. It is the history 

of Spanish lutherie. This is a solid wood guitar with a good 

and authentic Spanish construction. Wood: Solid cedar 

soundboard. Sides and back solid rosewood, with long 

drying time. The marquetry details are of the time, beautiful. 

The sound is vintage, very versatile, you can see the 

personality that this builder put in his guitars, very com-

fortable and light to play The condition is good, it shows 

hardly signs of use. Scale: 655 mm. Width nut: 53 mm.

It is to be noted that a Vicente Camacho labelled guitar

on the site of Vintage Guitar World has exactly the

same scale. That guitar is also from 1977. Odd thing 

is that in both guitars the date has been stamped.

A beautiful rosette but difficult to determine wether

if this is the work of Vicente Camacho as he made

a big variety in rosette designs. The typical bridge 

model is exacte the same as a Vicente Camacho 

labelled guitar and to name the rather square modelled

detail, can mention the shape of the wood just before 

the bridgebone. On most guitars that part is absolutely

more rounded. He only built about 12 guitars a year

has been stated somewhere: I doubt that as there are

also student guitars around with the Camacho label

but it could be possible that he imported these 

range of guitars.

A close picture has been taken to not only show the

rather square piece of wood on the left but also the

slanted string tie block on the right: Not parallel

with the soundboard. Another typical feature.

Every picture can probably tell us more about this

high quality guitar, but who was the builder? Anyway,

the cross bar, Vicente Camacho used in his guitars is 

present in this guitar as well as the long and flat 

horizontal brace under the bridge. Inner woodwork 

is of a high quality. Furthermore the soundboard

has been provided with a 5 piece fan bracing.

A cedar topped guitar in the Madrid tradition of that 

time, initiated by Jose Ramirez III. This soundboard

really resembles the soundboards used on the 1A 

model of Jose Ramirez in that it is narrow grained

and shows medullary rays that gives it a kind of

silky pattern. Though Camacho followed much of

the Madrid school at that time, he didn't use the

665 mm scale that much, used by various other

luthiers in and around Madrid.

WHAT ARE MEDULLARY RAYS?

Often referred to by luthiers as ‘silk’ or silk figure, 

medullary rays  are cellular structures which in coniferous, 

softwood, are easily recognizable on the surface of the 

quartersawn face. Luthiers like to see silk in their topwood 

as its presence is a guarantee that the wood is well quartered. 

It’s possible for well-quartered wood to not show any 

medullary rays, but wood with visible medullary rays is 

most certainly quartersawn. Silk figure is also very 

attractive and is strongly reminiscent of the curl figure 

we sometimes see in maple and other woods but on a 

much smaller scale. It adds a subtle, three-dimensional 

shimmer to a finished top.  In different woods, the visual 

effect can differ quite a bit, but in the Spruces, Redwood 

and Cedar we use in lutherie, the appearance is roughly 

the same. We do see it occasionally in some of the

hardwoods such as Mahogany, Sapele and even Ebony. 

The patterns show where the trees cellular structure is 

aligned to distribute water and other nutrients from the 

center of the tree out towards the bark.

         Garrido appears to be a retail store brand with the store 
in Madrid, Spain. Came across this brand on eBay – 
a purported 1960s classical guitar (Brazilian Rosewood) 
labelled Garrido with an association with the luthier 
Modeste Borreguero.   According to Acoustic Guitar Forum 
Modeste Borreguero set up his own workshop in 1952 and
worked exclusively for the dealers Casa Garrido in Madrid. 
He also taught the now retired maker Vicente Perez Camacho 
(b.1928). Borreguero (b.ca.1893 in Madrid) retired from 
guitar making in 1963 and he died in 1969. How things 
were combined at that time, I do not know but they 
seemed to work on the same address.

Garrido Classical guitars have a long tradition of construction 

in Spain, and the first units in 1953 soon became a quality 

standard within its mid-range guitar segment. Nowadays, Garrido 

guitars have construction and sound at the best price. See: 

http://www.guitarrasgarrido.com/guitarras-clasicas/

Desengano 2 - Valverde 3 are both in a way mentioned

to be the workshop of Modeste Borreguero. Both Vicente

Camaro as Modeste Borreguero sold their guitars to the 

Garrido music shop in Madrid. The second label showed 

here is a very early "Casa Garrido" guitar built by 

Modeste Borreguero in 1953.

Nicely shaped head with a topnut that is fine tuned.

The headform definitely points towards Vicente 

Camacho as a luthier. Also the rather wide sleeves

can be considered a Camacho trademark as is the 

rather flat inner tongue among others.

No damage on the top of the head which often 

occurs when placing a guitar against a wall.

This guitar must have been stored by a collector as 

there are hardy any traces of normal use on this guitar. 

Therefore the frets are still in a like new condition.

The wood remains a bit questionable to me as it has an

orangy character here and there that reminds me of Brasilian 

rosewood. The cedar top anyway can be compared with the 

first grade quality Jose Ramirez III uses on his 1A concert

instrument. Very fine grained. and last but not least: Its

sound that is really beautiful with strong trebles but 

rounded on the sweet spot of this guitar. Lots of volume

and this guitar colors nicely once striked at different

spots. Immediately comparable to my 1981 Jose

Ramirez Clase 1A, both equipped with the typical

Madrid sound but simply different from each other.

The string tie block that was already "slanted" made

by Modeste Borreguero. As a pupil, Vicente Camacho

kept that idea from Borreguero as can be seen in

the picture here beyond. Probably encouraged by his

master, Modeste Borreguero Camacho also worked  for 

Hernandez y Aguado in the 60ies of the past century

from time to time? (thanks to Mister Hogenmueller)

General information about Vicente Perez Camacho:

Vicente Perez Camacho was born in Madrid in 1928. 

Like so many guitar makers of his epoch he apprenticed 

first as a cabinet maker, beginning his working life 

when he was eleven. In 1952, he decided to apprentice 

with Modest Borreguero (1901-1969, one of the famous 

guitar makers to come out of the Manuel Ramirez 

workshop, who he had known since 1943. Vicente worked 

in Borreguero's small workshop on the Calle Desengano 

No 3 until he decided to open his own workshop in 1959 

on Amparo No 3. During the 1960s Vicente sold his guitars, 

as did Borreguero for some years, through Garrido, one 

of the major music stores in Madrid for many years. 

Vicente retired in 1992.  This could be one of those sold 

through Garrido. It bears the stamped Casa Garrido label.

There are not any cracks repairs or issues. The guitar 

still has its' original lacquering: the finish is 

flawless. Mechanical tuners (probably Fustero's) 

appear to be original.

Regarding Flamenco guitars

A choice of maple is not as unusal for flamenco as it might 

appear. Until the 1930s, maple was the top choice for a fine 

flamenco guitar, and only fell out of favor because during 

the depression, few could afford it and local cypress was 

much cheaper. There are not any cracks repairs or issues. 

The guitar still has its' original lacquering: the finish is 

flawless. Mechanical tuners (probably Fustero's) appear 

to be original.

A post by someone who owns a Vicente Camacho guitar.

Actually I do have a V. Camacho made in 1975, cedar top, Indian rosewood 

back and sides. A very nice guitar, 66 cm, rather light (much lighter than the 

Ramirez 1a of this time, and also less weight than most other guitars that 

I know - except for some flamencas). The 5 fan-style braces look quite 

usual, with a long and flat horizontal brace under the bridge, but a diagonal 

asymmetric harmonic bar (less diagonal than in the Ramirez), starting and 

ending at ribs. The head shape is quite special (like Santos but with a 

"Ramirez" tip in the middle), and the rosette (individual, never seen another 

one exactly like this) has the Madrid colours (red, green and black wood) 

and it is repeated on the bridge. The label is dated, signed and stamped, 

and the sound board is stamped again on the inside close to the bridge. 

Clearly individual work, and the man was proud of his product. 

Concerning the sound, it is suprisingly loud, but lighter and clearer trebles 

than the Ramirez of this time that I know. Lots of overtones, beautiful 

harmonics, well balanced, especially the basses are not too loud, but present. 

I cannot compare with any other guitar that I have. Also, it is easy to play, 

because of the nice neck (width 52 mm at the nut). 

This is indeed one of my favourite instruments.

Vicente Camacho designed a cross-braced system for the 
guitar top that produces a loud and clear tone even in small 
body guitar. The tone is well balanced and projects really 
well. If you have heard El Trio Los Panchos, you will recognize 
the sound. Camacho’s guitars are also famous because they 
were one of a kind piece of art. Every single part was made 
by the luthier, except the machine heads. His rosettes looked 
similar to each other but were different. The design matches 
the bridge. None of his guitars is equal to another. He made 
small scale guitars by demand. He used spruce, cedar, Indian 
and Brazilian rosewood mainly. Among his collectors are 
Angel Romero, Peter Capell, Emma Martinez, Greg Lake, 
Pepe Vergara and Ramon Villar. Camacho was very well known 
in London, where his guitars were sold by the London Guitar 
Studio. An interview with Vicente Camacho was published by 
Classical Guitar Magazine in July 1986. Some of his guitars have 
Garrido brand on the sound hole label (circa 1960s) as he 
sold his guitars for many years through this Madrid store.

From the Zavaletas Site:
In 1952, Borreguero moved his workshop to 
Desengaño No 4, and began to build exclusively 
for the music store Casa Garrido. There he also 
took on the training of Vicente Perez Camacho, 
who went on to become a noted luthier. He also 
taught a young Felix Manzanero how to French 
polish, a skill that allowed Manzanero to enter 
Jose Ramirez III workshop as an apprentice.

VICENTE CAMACHO

Vicente Pérez Camacho nació en Madrid en 1928. Como tantos guitarreros de su época, primero aprendió cómo ebanista, comenzando su vida laboral a los once años. En 1952 comienza como aprendiz de Modesto Borreguero. 

Vicente trabajaba en el pequeño taller de Borreguero en la calle Desengaño Nº 3 hasta que decidió abrir su propio taller en 1959 en el Amparo nº 3. 

Durante los años 60 Vicente vendió sus guitarras, al igual que Borreguero durante algunos años, a través de Garrido, una de las tiendas de música más importantes de Madrid. Vicente se jubila en 1992.

Translation:

VICENTE CAMACHO

Vicente Pérez Camacho was born in Madrid in 1928. Like so many guitar players of his time, he first learned how to become a cabinet maker, beginning his working life at the age of eleven. In 1952 he began as an apprentice of Modesto Borreguero.

Vicente worked in the small Borreguero workshop at 3 Desengaño street until he decided to open his own workshop in 1959 at 3 Amparo.

During the 1960s Vicente sold his guitars, like Borreguero for some years, through Garrido, one of the most important music stores in Madrid. Vincent retired in 1992.

The guitar in France:

They all came with their Spanish guitars and the first Ignacio Fleta guitars showed up in Paris in 1955 in the hands of Sierra and Cueto. They were immediately greatly admired and gradually caused the guitars of Torres, Manuel Ramirez, Esteso, Simplicio, Garcia, etc. to be put back in their cases.

Other makers, such as Conde Hermanos, Mateu, Vicente Camacho, Arcangel Fernandez and De la Chica, found a place on the French market where they sold hundreds of their instruments.

German Parlor Guitar

Presented here is a German Parlor guitar with its'

neck loose from the body so no one was interested

in it. There were many of these guitars made in

Germany around 1900 but this one showed some nice 

woods e.g. rosewood sides and back and a narrow

grained top and for less than 100 Euro's you can

give it a try.

In fact I was further in the process here as at first it

was my goal to release the neck from the body that

had some give when moving forth and backwards.

Injecting water in the glue surfaces after having

removed the fingerboard from the twelfth fret on

made it possible to do so.

The lacquer used on a lot of these factory produced instruments

is quite heavy and that is resulting in white traces once damaged.

That was the case on the whole instrument so a lacquer remover

was the next step.

It has lasted quite while since the paint companies did overcome

the problems with a new process for making lacquer remover as

some ingredients were no longer allowed. The newer versions

are working again as can be seen here.

A close up from the spot where the neck had some play.

Maybe not visible in this picture but this bridge was cracked

and the black painted wood is a bit of a cheap move on an

otherwise very decent instrument.

On this picture one can see I made a new bridge out of

Madagascar rosewood, one of those woods that

sometimes do resemble Brazilian rosewood a bit.

I made this shot for investigators on wood as I found the same

quality and sort of rosewood on a very nice guitar, most likely

made by Edgar Monch, a bit a forgotten luthier that moved for 

a while to Canada and it is known that he produced guitars

for the local music shops in Germany later on.

Regluing and outlining the fingerboard is a next step but

after the frets have been (re)placed. Leveling the two 

parts of this fingerboard is hardly necessary when you

try to get as close as possible before replacing the outer

end of the fretboard. A kind of a herringbone inlay

around the sound hole and at the edges German luthiers

are known for. Germany exported these strips before 

world war II to factories like Martin but stopped during

the war and afterwards.

Then the relaquering of the front and apart from that:

Sides and back though I switch continuously as you

need more than one layer. About 8 thin layers give a

good result and of course polishing between every 

layer. The neck hasn't been refinished up until now.

The typical thing that I also discovered on other German 

parlor guitars is that the back often has been made out of 

one piece of wood. The Germans have always been good 

woodworkers and chances are that they treated the outside

only to make it look like rosewood but not in this case.

The herringbone inlays can be studied here as they often

did this with these guitars.

The newly made bridge that has a piece of fretwork mounted.

It is obvious that the angle neck / body has to be perfect here.

A nice shot of this beautiful piece of wood.

On this picture you can try to find any seam.

The extended fingerboard but only partly for the higher notes.

D. Julian Gomez Ramirez  ( 1879 - 1943 )

This instrument has been provided with a very strange plantilla.

It is known of course that luthiers used to experiment more than

in these times but Gomez Ramirez may also have built this

instrument on special request in 1917. We simply don't know. 

Later investigations learned that Sinier de Ridder once had an

identical example! So this is not a one of a kind.

Also the headform differs from his other instruments. Thoughts 

may arise that it could be an instrument from another builder but

 the soundboard has been signed by Don Julio Gomez Ramirez 

himself. Also the label seems to belong there and was there from 

the beginning. Inner linings to not appear to be added in a later 

stage so conclusions can be that this was intended the way it is.

Provided with EON tuners from French origin but this guitar 

could have been originally built with tuning pegs in order for 

more lightness. Wether if this instrument really was intended 

as a flamenco guitar remains the question. Cedar neck with 

ebony fingerboard and Brasilian rosewood back and sides.

As it is not the case with a lot of instruments known from

this luthier, this guitar has been built with Brasilian rosewood.

Its' scale is 655 mm. The condition is quite good regarding

the number of cracks, neck angle and playability etc.

The back has two insert for former cracks, both in the left

part of the back. This guitar is quite deep in comparison

to other instruments of that time. Therefore the basses are

sounding rich and deep. The balance is good and the higher

notes have a sweet voice though I expect this guitar once

played for a longer time will open itself even more.

Remarkable tone separation and a sweet immediately

recognizable voice.

As you might expect a bookmatched back of course.

Bone or maybe even an ivory scratchplate. The inlay in

the soundboard has been done securely and can be studied

in the mid of the lower part of this picture. multiple layers

on the edge of its' soundboard.

By clicking on this picture you are able to study the edge

inlay. Carefully done as can be expected from a top luthier.

Most likely intended as a more luxury instrument as most

of the time the rosette on his guitars exist of concentric

circles. The fingerboard seems to have been shaved and

a later added layer of ebony has been glued onto the 

further original neck.

Don Julio Gomez Ramirez didn't made that much elaborate

rosettes on his guitars and had to make a living sometimes

with the building of cheaper models. The inner workmanship

on this guitar is immaculate and special attention can be

asked for the strutting of the soundboard which is quite

extraordinary! I will come up with some pictures.

The silver inlay on the string tie block is another sign of 

the expensiveness this instrument must have had.

Not that elaborate but anyway: More than concentric circles

alone. The label is still in great shape though the ink with

which he dated, numbered and signed this guitar, has fainted.

Brasilian rosewood, allways nice to look at! This guitar

is probably veneered but that also explains why sides

and back are still in a good condition. The inner layer

of wood appears mahogany to my idea. In fact, a

lot of historic luthiers did this to achieve a sweeter

tone and moreover chances that cracks might

occur are diminished in this way.

The label has been photograhed allready and that is

telling that this instrument was constructed especially

for Vincent de .........Possible instrument number 204

made in 1917 both written at the bottom. In between

Julian Gomez Ramirez placed his signature. You

can enlarge it by clicking on this picture.

This picture and the following ones are from about the same

model Sinier de Ridder once had. The endblock has been

stamped on this one which is not the case in my guitar.

The same shorter head but no zero fret and according

to me the bridge mounted here is a later addition.

To make the fan bracing even longer Gomez Ramirez

made a kind of tunnel which he also did in my guitar.

Robert Bouchet lent this idea from his great inspirator,

Julian Gomez Ramirez and in that way putted the

French lutherie regarding guitars "on the map".

Lucien Gelas Guitar

It really is a coincidence that after the odd plantilla of

the Julian Gomez Ramirez guitar another "experiment"

has been added. I was just curious to learn how these

guitars are sounding in comparison with other, more

'normally"  constructed instruments. In fact one cannot

call this an experiment as this model has been in 

production from the beginning of the twentieth century

until the seventies of the past age. By makers such as

at first Theodore Gaudet and later Jean Rovies, Beuscher 

(who only was a dealer) Richard Jacob en Louis Pate-

notte from about 1930 onwards.

The earlier headstock found on these guitars has been adapted

by Louis Patenotte (Mirecourt - France) the middle section

of the head being lesser protuding. The tuners are in need of

some attention as some knobs are missing and it is better to 

remove the existing knobs and make 6 new ones that will do 

the job for the coming years. The zero fret was there from 

the beginning.

20 frets on this fingerboard and a typical lay out that

also can be found on the first instruments. The concentric

circles for the rosette also are original and present on 

other Lucien Gelas guitars as well. As this guitar came 

to me with metal strings on it one can imagine what 

happened: Besides a bridge part that almost inevitable 

broke under the upwards tension, the two cracks along-

side the fingerboard are also proof of this mistreatment!

In fact it was quite easy to remove the bridge and a new

ebony one (as was the original one) will be modelled

after this bridge.

Some more cracks in the lower soundboard and in the center 

(luckily!) of the inner soundboard. That won't be the biggest

deal regarding the restauration. The brandmark on this guitar

is different from the earlier ones being called "Ideala" (by

Louis Patenotte). The earlier ones are mentioning "Gelas".

Another remarkable feature is the placing of the bridge:

Lower on the bass side. But octave pitch is very good on

this guitar.

Also cracks in the back but the back really deformed and 

can't be simply pressed in place.  In the past I once putted

a wet towel on the back of a mandolin. The result was a 

disaster as the ribs deformed but now I can use this

experience to my advantage. I will remove the back 

and I hope to be able to get it in its' original form and

glue it back in place after the jobs to be done inside.

Even the knobs that are there are a disaster:

Uneven in thickness and even a black one

for the higher E-string....

This is an original ad from the beginning of the

twentieth century in which some famous guitar

players praise these instruments highly, among them

Miguel Llobet, Emilio Pujol and Luise Walker.

The back has been removed what in fact was no big

problem. In fact luckily that the back was already 

splitted what made the transverse braces on the back 

visible. Then it is not enough to loosen the back

around the edges. But heating with my hair dryer

along these braces did the job.

Cracks in the top can easily be repaired now. As the 

top runs from  the neck to the bottom this soundbaord is

able to react as a whole. Advantage is that there is 

no fretboard end glued onto the top. The upper part

of the soundboard has a more strengthening function

to my believe. As there is much less downward pressure

on the inner soundboard it can be constructed thinner.

In fact a simply bracing with maybe even the 19th century

French guitars in mind. Again some splits but that can be 

cured in a sufficient way. The three braces on the back

will be renewed in order to make things stable.

The angle neck / body is still OK on this guitar but will

be inspected closely before the back will be glued back 

in place. A neck reset might deform the plantilla a bit so 

I have to keep the three back braces long enough before 

the final step.

A split endblock! How could this have happened? In fact

the first question you have to ask yourself. It is possible 

that the three braces on the back forced the sides a bit

to the outside. Another strange thing is that the side on

the right deformed, thus also making the crack in the 

endblock possible. I have to loosen that side from the 

endblock, make the side straight again, then glue the 

crack and finally glue the right side back in place.

With the back off, possibly some tensions between the

parts of this guitar have disappeared! As the back was

mounted without any linings, making a fitting back

won't be much of a problem.

Removing the bridge was quite easy without damaging

the soundboard.   Of course a cleaning proces has to be 

done before a new bridge will be glued to the top.

The guitar in an already better condition. As I made a 

twelve hole bridge the string savers, present here, are

not necessary anymore.

I've decided to place a new figured maple back 

as the original back was too far gone.

Relacquering sides and back is a must of course.

Here you can see I placed the twelve hole bridge already.

I'm still wondering what effect on the final sound it would 

have when you would use the tailpiece that is originally

on this guitar. (It still is of course but you need ball end

strings for it to be able to use it.!)

New fretwork so immediately playable.

The bit odd looking placed bridge but don't worry:

The octave pitch is near perfect!

I made 6 new knobs that will do their job for years.

The older material the original knobs were made of

was deteriorated and prone to break off.

The color of the neck now "in line" with the rest of the guitar.

A glued and reinforced crack in the side left still can be seen

a bit.

The neck to body construction is really sturdy now 

and should not give any problems in the future.

Perfectly straight neck with a natural kind of neck relief.

The inner top can be seen here.

Mass Hirade Model 15 (Japan)

Presented here is the model 15 I have in my posession.

I didn't bought it new but second hand just recently.

Built earlier by Hirade for Takamine as the label attests. 

The number on the heelblock as well on the label itself 

says it to be from 1984.

A nice rosewood back and flawlessly built as can 

be expected from Japanese guitars of that era.

Not the Kohno style bracing but a quite traditional

7 fan bracing. Back and sides: Solid Indian

rosewood. Scale 650 mm.

A really carefully cut nut that has a width of 52 mm.

Really great tuners that work very smoothly and even-

ly and have a nice ratio of about 1:18 (?)

Good Gotoh tuners, ebony fingerboard and provided 

with knobs that are changeable.

This should be the label, just number 15 without the 

"H". Odd is that they wrote "fifteen" the wrong way!

Remarkable is that the label in this Master Arte serie

normally has been hand signed and that counts 

already for the lower grade models.

One can clearly notice the slightly sprayed back of 

this guitar. Probably the influence of Masaru Kohno, 

who at those times supervised the production of the 

high end Takamines. The Hirade guitars however

have developed their own bracing and character, 

although Mass Hirade was a pupil of Kohno.

The edge inlay seems to be copied from the Kohno

guitars but probably a third party is responsible for this.

Highly ornamented as also is the even higher model 20.

The latter has Brasilian rosewood for sides and back.

Even better visible here. The inlay around the sound-

board. You can click on this picture to even enlarge it.

Most remarkable, apart from the beautiful sound is

the playability. Much attention has been devoted to

the carefully cut topnut and playing action they

provided these guitars with. In comparison with

other "makers" of that time like Juan Orozco, these

guitars have a lighter, more vibrant sound but still

the real depth is there as well as volume.

Husson Duchene (plm. 1840)

Here is a front view of the guitar that most likely 

was made for the house Husson et Duchene.

The label in this guitar is lost but a lot of features

are pointing in that direction. When you compare

this picture with the one beneath you might be able

to trace the repaired cracks (3) and the outer

ends of the bridge. It received new fretwork as well.

The firm Husson et Duchêne was established in Paris 

in 1839 by two luthiers Claude Charles Husson (1811-1893) 

and Jean-Baptiste Colin Duchêne (b. c.1800-d.1889) This 

French romantic classical guitar was made between 1839-

1845 when their shop was at Rue Grenéta, no 13.

This firm eventually gave birth to Thibouville-Lamy, 

the largest purveyor of musical instruments in France.

When Duchêne left the partnership in 1848, Husson 

took on a new partner, Charles Buthod (1810-1889).

In 1861, they were joined by Jerome Thibouville. 

The firm of Husson, Buthod, and Thibouville brought 

together regional factories which made woodwinds at 

la Couture, brass instruments at Paris-Grenville, and 

string instruments (including guitars) at Mirecourt.

By 1867, the partnership had become simply the firm 

Thibouville-Lamy. By 1900, Thibouville-Lamy had 

branches London and New York. This firm, in fact, still

exists. This little finely made French guitar has rosewood 

back and sides, a bit uneven grained spruce top, and a 

very lovely engraved rosette made of mother-of-pearl.

Machine heads with metal rollers. These are marked EON 

fils and are not original. The scale is 625mm, with a 

47 mm nut. The tone is romantic, with some silky soun-

ding trebles, firm basses, and excellent volume. This 

Husson et Duchene classsical guitar will be restored 

and can be brought back in excellent condition.

The back of this instrument that in fact is veneered 

as was common on more instruments of that time.

The inner layer is mostly made of quarter sawn spruce. 

Not with this instrument that furthermore has a 

simple ladder bracing.

 http://www.musee-lutherie-mirecourt.fr/index.php?rub=collections&idmenu=5

By clicking on this picture you can enlarge it as the 

fingerboard is in one line with the soundboard. The 

bridge with the damaged outer ends: In fact this guitar 

came to me with metal strings so the bridge came of 

as well! Luckily it has been glued with the original old 

glue so removal isn't that difficult.The outer ends will be

glued again to the existing bridge. These models can be 

found on the Lacote as well as the Aubry Maire 

instruments, making it possible to examine it carefully.

Especially the green abalone motives are attractive as

was done on many Aubry Maire instruments. In fact the 

plantilla resembles these instruments a bit. There were 

possible relations with Aubry Maire as a supplier of 

instruments for Husson et Duchene but regarding this 

instrument it is still a supposition.

(source: Sinier de Ridder)

The unusual shape of the head makes these guitars 

easy to identify though I found this headshape on a 

Boulanger guitar as well. That instrument (and many 

more) can be found at the Mirecourt museum site. 

Carefully veneered head on front as well as its' back.

The back of the head that shows the 

carefully placed head on the neck.

The heel of this instrument appeared to have a lining
after some cleaning. I have to place a new one on the right
side of the heel. Some additional gluework will be done.

I've added a new inlay on the right and flattened out the

side on that spot as well. After cleaning the left side it

was obvious there was no restoration needed.

 Restauration of the endpin would have been allmost

impossible as it allways will be prone to future damage.

I made a new one out of a very old cello tuning peg.

Here's a picture of the restored endpin though the first one

could be a later addition as well. But that's part of this guitars'

history and I kept it that way.

The EON tuners that were introduced in the second

half of the nineteenth century. In combination with 

the inline fingerboard / soundboard one must conclude 

that though these tuners are of good quality, they are not

original. Metal rollers and ebony knobs. It is very obvious 

that this guitar has been built a bit earlier than these tuners.

Probably due to the use of metal strings the original bridge

cracked into two pieces alongside the openings for the pegs.

As there were allready some reparations made to it I

decided to replace it and made a copy of the original one.