News/Newsletter May 2009
Triumph of the Spirit
I hope everyone is as happy as I am to be coming out of winter hibernation. It’s been a long, cold winter here in the Chicago area, as usual. I spent the winter hard at work on a batch of six guitars, three of which will be making their way to The Music Emporium for my June 16th 2009 “Meet Your Maker” presentation. Stu Cohen and the guys have been kind enough to invite me, and it marks my very first time having any of my guitars for sale by a retailer. I am not sure if I will have the time to post pictures of the completed guitars before the show, but for those who may be interested in the time being they are:
- 15” Style 6, Indian Rosewood OM based on the Stahl Style 6 that Robert Bowlin loves so much.
- 16” Style 7 Special, Honduran Rosewood in the Euphonon body style with fancy pearl.
- Dreadnought Style 4, Mahogany working man style with rather plain ornamentation.
All of these guitars will be varnished 14 fret instruments, built with hide glue with a 25.59” scale length and built in the Larson vein. The 16” is the only guitar that will have laminated X brace. All guitars are being built under tension with Adirondack tops and Adirondack bracing. They will incorporate various types of neck reinforcements used by the Larsons throughout their career, but none will have adjustable truss rods. My approach is to be able to offer three very different guitars from plain to fancy that will showcase the variety of styles and appointments available. Hopefully you will be able to make it to The Music Emporium to see them for yourselves.
I am also proud to announce that the Montuoro Guitar Co. will be featured in the fall issue of the increasingly popular periodical The Fretboard Journal! John Thomas is writing the article that will also feature Willi Henkes and Tony Klassen. I am sure you have a good idea of the subject matter, but just in case you are wondering it is about the resurgence of interest in the guitars made by the Larson Brothers. An area of great interest for all of us involved, so please stay tuned!
There has also been a lot of interest in my 11.2008 featured guitar, “the answer to the next great depression”, made for Mr. Nels Cline. With many people having great affection for Martin guitars built in the 1930’s, this particular instrument showcases the fact that I can build outside of the Larson realm and still retain the aesthetic of the golden age of guitar making. So much so that even this present economic climate 2009 has been kind to my future as a guitar maker. This particular guitar is affordable for a wider audience of the market while still retaining all of the key elements of a finely crafted instrument. If you are not familiar with this guitar allow me to introduce you. Appointments can of course vary to a more traditional style bridge and neck heel to suit you. You will also find a link below that features Nels Cline playing this guitar at Neil Young’s annual event in Northern California, the Bridge School Benefit.
http://www.montuoroguitars.com/featured.htm
http://www.montuoroguitars.com/newsletter6_27_07.htm
http://www.bayareanewsgroup.com/multimedia/iba/2008/flash/bcss_1026/
Now this is some pretty exciting news. I recently was able to purchase 25 original steel “T” bars from Martins old stock from the original North Street shop! I plan on building 25 very special Dreadnoughts that will be based on the 1930’s Dreadnoughts that are so famous. These builds will be focused on the Martin school of guitar making with forward shifted and scalloped X brace design. Ultimately at the heart of these instruments they will be Montuoro guitars, but I would really like to pay tribute to some of the guitars that I love so much. Obtaining these “T” bars makes this project even more intriguing for me. If it wasn’t for the C.F. Martin & Co, I wouldn’t be inspired to do what I do.
As I build more guitars I am acquiring a wider audience of guitar players with a variety of wants and needs. I don’t ever want to pigeon hole my work, so I am always inspired to try something different. Generally this stems from the client’s specific wishes, and I am more than happy to oblige. In the coming year you will see a variety of guitars that are all uniquely different from one another. Some will be constructed more like Larsons, while others may be more like Martins or Gibsons. I’m more about tradition than I am about propelling the acoustic guitar into the 22nd century. The one thing that is certain is they will all be Montuoro guitars. Hand-made not manufactured.
Thanks for the continued support!
Frankie Montuoro
May 2009 |
