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Guitars Through The Ages By James Westbrook. Features 6 original period instruments from the author's collection: ca. 1780 Baroque guitar, 1830 Gennaro Fabricatore, 1830 René François Lacôte, 1838 Louis Panormo, 1889 Antonio de Torres, 1966 Robert Bouchet. A relatively light book of just over 70 pages, 21cm square, that I read in about 2 hours. The photos are very high quality and detailed; the guitars are spectacular - especially the Fabricatore which was made for a very wealthy client, having ebony backs and sides, detailed vine inlays, mother of pearl purfling, ivory edging, etc.. The book has a general illustrated overview of classical guitar instrument history, and ends with a semi-technical description of each instrument, including measurements and X-Rays. It was also interesting to see the evolution from the Baroque predecessor through the 19th century to Torres and modern adaptations. There are not many books of this type, and it is well worth $20. Limited edition of 1,000 copies available from the author. |
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The Century That Shaped The Guitar By James Westbrook. This is a superb book on the 19th century guitar, from its origins and through Torres and Tarrega. It is 180 pages and brings forth new research and information and has many high quality graphics, with a high quality print and layout. The focus is on the background of the composers and instruments used in the recording and affiliated with or owned by the museum: thus it explores details of Madame Pratten, Walter Leckie, Julian Arcas, Dionisio Aguado, and Trinidad Huerta with first-hand sources uncovered. The CD which accompanies the book is essential, as the book highlights the compositions and guitars used for the recording. The CD is reviewed on the "Recordings" section of this site. The actual photos of Aguado's guitars in a Madrid museum were but one example of the information presented. The book gives an overview of the invention and development of the 6-string guitar, and walks through the major trends. Highly recommended. Limited edition available from the author. |
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Pegheds sells mechanical pegs which can be used as a substitute for wooden friction pegs. They require a 7mm peg hole in the headstock; this works great for new instruments, especially historical replicas. Many original instruments often have a larger peg size, around 9mm, thus the 9mm pegheds are required instead. I use the Pegheds on my Kresse Lacote copy, Titmuss Terz guitar, and Hancock Torres 1888 copy, and they work and look fantastic. |
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Rodgers Tuning Machines provides replicas of Stauffer and Lacote tuners, with multiple style options, as well as classical tuners. The Lacote tuners are in many ways superior to modern tuners: the gear mechanism is enclosed which looks better and also reduces exposure. The only drawback is their high cost. |
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