Wanna play a guitar from 1791?

[Stackabones]

 

Go to Granary-Guitars!

 

Anyone been there?

[guitarist21]

Very cool! I've never been to England but if I ever go I'll keep that place in mind.

 

Ellen

[NeverSayDai]

The museam/collection sounds/looks great!

 

From the website, I liked...

"Can I Play the Guitars?

Yes, as long as you are not a total beginner. Please wear a long-sleeved jumper/sweatshirt and no belt buckles!" Skippy should note!

 

Too far fo a simple day out unfortunately - quite near "the smoke", and I am in the "frozen North". Perhaps, if we get to be within easy distance sometime, I will see if I can get a visit.

[garthman]

What a beautiful little Baroque guitar! Next time I'm down in the South of England I shall pay a visit - it would be wonderful to play one of those.

[Etienne Rambert]

Wow!

 

Questions:

 

1. The history I've found on the web has the 12 string being invented sometime in the 19th or early 20th century. Does this guitar rewrite 12 string history? I have found no historical references on the web that 12 string guitars existed in the 18th century.

 

 

2. Are these nylon strings? Or are they steel? If they're steel, this guitar was made 5 years before CF Martin was born.

 

3. Does this guitar rewrite both steel-string and 12-string guitar history?

 

Double wow!

 

Edit: I've answered question #1. Apparently, there were 12-strings around in the 18th Century. Here's a page. It has 12-strings by the same maker from 1790 & 1802.

 

[garthman]

The Baroque guitar evolved from the Renaissance guitar. The early versions were 10 string instruments (5 twin courses) and, during the Baroque period, a six string was added (sometimes single, sometimes twin). The 2 course string arrangement was also used on the lute which had been around since medieval times.

 

The strings used during the Renaissance period were gut but during the Baroque period (around 1680), wire wound (copper) basses began to be used (similar to current nylon strings but wound on gut). Steel strings began to be used on string instruments in the 19th century.

[OldGuitarPlayer]

The museam/collection sounds/looks great! From the website, I liked... "Can I Play the Guitars? Yes, as long as you are not a total beginner. Please wear a long-sleeved jumper/sweatshirt and no belt buckles!"

 

They also forgot: "No Stairway to Heaven!"

 

Now that's a museum I'd like to visit...could induce much G.A.S.

[Samilyn]

That is truly awesome. And a 12-er at that!

 

Hmmm.....the plain strings look like nylon and the wound ones look like a silver-wrapped string to me, maybe like a silk & steel. But I'm pretty sure nobody in their right mind would put a steel-core string on that old darlin'.

 

Wonder what it's really strung with and where it's tuned? No matter. Utterly amazing git to have held up under 12 strings worth of tension all these centuries. Gotta hand it to those old luthiers - they obviously knew what they were doing.

 

Hey, Stack.... No bridge pins

[EvilTwin]

If they ever build that trans-Atlantic, undersea, mag-lev train...I'm so there.

[garthman]

That is truly awesome. And a 12-er at that! Hmmm.....the plain strings look like nylon and the wound ones look like a silver-wrapped string to me, maybe like a silk & steel. But I'm pretty sure nobody in their right mind would put a steel-core string on that old darlin'. Wonder what it's really strung with and where it's tuned? No matter. Utterly amazing git to have held up under 12 strings worth of tension all these centuries. Gotta hand it to those old luthiers - they obviously knew what they were doing. Hey, Stack.... No bridge pins

 

See my post #6 above for string info (La Bella do strings for all stringed instruments including these). The tuners are friction tuners - like a Uke or banjo, pegs are inserted into holes from rear of headstock.

[denvertrakker]

Hey, Stack.... No bridge pins

 

[NeverSayDai]

If you ferret around the site ("past open days"), you can find...

 

"All the guitars in the museum are strung with D

[lauren]

How do you find out where it is, could not see an address on the website?

[OldGuitarPlayer]

 

How do you find out where it is, could not see an address on the website?

 

 

 

Here's a quote from his website:

 

 

"Visits are by personal invite only. If you would like to come along, you will need to email me with your name and address and telephone number. I will email you back with directions etc."

[lauren]

anyone fancy going?

Here's a quote from his website: "Visits are by personal invite only . If you would like to come along, you will need to email me with your name and address and telephone number. I will email you back with directions etc."

[Samilyn]

 

If you ferret around the site ("past open days"), you can find...   "All the guitars in the museum are strung with D

[Samilyn]

 

See my post #6 above for string info (La Bella do strings for all stringed instruments including these). The tuners are friction tuners - like a Uke or banjo, pegs are inserted into holes from rear of headstock.

 

 

I did, but they look too white to be copper wound, so my mind jumped to silver. And seeing the other post below yours, I do wonder which D'Addario strings it's wearing. It would come as no surprise to read that they're custom made for these fragile old instruments.

[Terry Allan Hall]

If they ever build that trans-Atlantic, undersea, mag-lev train...I'm so there.

 

Let's just car-pool...I'm good for the Lone Star Beer and my share of the gas $$$!

 

If Blind Willie McTell played this one, would he have been inclined to wear a powdered wig and sung about those Nottingham Blues?

[garthman]

 

I did, but they look too white to be copper wound, so my mind jumped to silver. And seeing the other post below yours, I do wonder which D'Addario strings it's wearing. It would come as no surprise to read that they're custom made for these fragile old instruments.

 

 

I think they will just be standard tension classical strings (monofilament nylon trebles, silverplated copper wound on multi-strand nylon basses). Those old guitars are tough and would have been originally strung with gut and wire-wound gut which are similar tension to nylon.

[Samilyn]

 

I think they will just be standard tension classical strings (monofilament nylon trebles, silverplated copper wound on multi-strand nylon basses). Those old guitars are tough and would have been originally strung with gut and wire-wound gut which are similar tension to nylon.

 

 

Makes sense. Thanks, m'dear.