Other European guitars

billyshakes

Well, it looks nice. Great you could salvage this old beaut from a fate other than the landfill. Looks like someone was doing a note-for-note cover of "I Gave My Love A Cherry..." (the one with the Blutarsky coda...)

Kudos to you!

BillDaCostaWilliams

Looks fantastic Chris.

I wouldn't have thought it possible to achieve such a transformation.

DeuxDoigts_Tonnerre

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/108338#Comment_108338

I found a Kremona Lulo Reinhardt Damien Signature model at the second-hand music store. I really liked it, played well and sounded great acoustically. I believe the electronics on this one were damaged and it was being sold as is, so I did not buy it. They had about 8 or 10 other Kremona nylon string guitars in the store (one more with oval hole and the rest with round hole) but this one was my favorite.

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Willie

Another pdf sent by Google, covering the VIOLA PORTUGUESA. A quick example, quoting footnote 2:

"Viola is the Portuguese term for both the five-course and the six-string guitars; in Brazilian 

Portuguese it refers to the five-course guitar, while the six-string instrument is called violão, or big 

viola. The terms guitarra and viola seem to have been interchangeable during the seventeenth and 

eighteenth centuries, but since the late eighteenth century, guitarra refers almost exclusively to the 

Portuguese guitar, an instrument related to the English guitar, or cittern. The violin family’s viola is 

known in Portugal as violeta, or small viola, and in Brazil simply as viola."

The_Five_course_Guitar_viola_in_Portugal.pdf

Willie

Pictures from Reconstruction of a Sixteenth-century Vihuela with Historical Making Techniques, the whole report by Marcos Kaiser Mori is below:

Reconstruction_of_a_Sixteenth_century_Vi.pdf

SwedeinLA

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/108346#Comment_108346

Thats Will Brahm, jazz player out of LA

gaddyiii

Hey, first time poster. Figured this is as good a place as any for my question: any idea of the make on this guitar?

Bought it off ebay as a Jose Ramirez--it was clearly not, but looked interesting nonetheless. The guy had it strung with nylons and even had an ugly and obviously fake computer printed Ramirez label glued inside. I saw the outline of the original tailpiece so I hunted down the closest thing I could find: a made in china mandolin tailpiece of around the same size and shape. What are these mandolin-style end pieces called anyway? I see them on many Franco-Italian guitars.

Strung it up with Argentine 11s. Kind of an ugly thing, but it sounds wonderful, especially for the rest-stroke-heavy fingerstyle I like to play.

The seller was based out of Cremona, Italy, so I figured this thing has some connection with the early-century Franco-Italian thing. The vestigial classical style bridge reminds me of Spanish bandurrias and lauds, but I've seen the same thing in catalogues for "Spanish" type parlors from Di Mauro and similar builders. Still haven't found the maker responsible for this thing, though. Ladder braced. Laminate back and sides with a thicker three piece spruce (?) top that really packs a punch.

As far as the main topic, here, goes: I've been trying to find out more about the construction of Portuguese Violas, which someone else mentioned above. The Viola de Fado, in particular, is a steel strung spanish classical style guitar used to accompany the guitarra portuguesa (a 12 string cittern) in Portuguese Fado music. New models go for pretty cheap on portuguese music websites, but I'm a little wary of picking one up knowing little about the bracing, etc.

Also, I've been really curious about greek rebetiko folk guitars. Seem to be a development of Viennese/German style ladder-braced parlor guitars strung with steel. This guy on etsy makes some beauties:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1200792993/greek-custom-folk-guitar-handmade-greek?click_key=3a4ee93b9439b01fef2304f8c02c4a7ba45bca0a%3A1200792993&click_sum=c97d9135&ref=hp_rv-1&frs=1

BillDaCostaWilliams

I've been trying to find out more about the construction of Portuguese Violas

I think you're right to be wary of the cheapest new models as the build quality may not be great. If you have specific questions I could ask my luthier friend here (Lisbon area).

bbwood_98

@ChrisMartin

Right on about the Hofner Very-thin -

I've lusted after a Stowell Model for a while now - he's an amazing guitarist and musician, and those sound great.

Also Robin Katz has a killer Hofner (jazzica?) full bodied arch top - man that is a killer guitar too.

German arch-tops often a very good deal - mostly small factory or hand made, full carved instruments - but sometimes terrible with pres tops and bolt on necks. . .

Willie

I had posted links for old German archtops in this thread last october, but did not mention this one:

https://www.musikkeller.com/

Mr. Schnepel does not only sell guitars, but has a large spare parts store containing electronics, pickups, bodies, necks, strap pins, volume knobs, truss rod covers, ...