Keyed English guitar (hammered or pianoforte guitar or guittar)

Culliford, Rolfe and Barrow

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Instrument

English guitar

Instrument Family

Strings

Maker

Culliford, Rolfe and Barrow

Place Made

United Kingdom ; England ; Europe

Date Made

Mid to late 18th century ; 1780s

Description

Soundboard of spruce. Bridge of ebony. Rosehole 100mm diameter. Rose of brass in a geometrical wreath design with holes for the hammers of the action to pass through. Ivory turned edging around the rose itself. Purfling around the rose consisting of a thin black inked line, then two bands of brown ink, and then two further black inked lines. The edging around the soundboard has alternate strips of light and dark wood, with a black inked line, then a band of brown ink, then two further black inked lines. On the treble side of the soundboard below the bridge is a mechanism for hitting the strings with hammers. There is a brass holding-unit screwed to the soundboard with ivory topped hammers protruding from it. Wooden stickers extend from the bottom of the keys to the remainder of the mechanism inside the instrument. The back and sides are of lightly figured maple. The sides are one piece, with the exception of the drawer which opens to get access to the keyed action. The drawer has a brass handle. There is an ivory endpin at the bottom of the instrument, and twelve turned ivory pins to hold the ends of the strings. There is an ivory soundboard protector, covered with red felted cloth to protect the soundboard where the strings pass over. The sides have purfling consisting of black inked line, then a brown ink band, then two black inked lines. The purfling is at the top and bottom of the sides. The back is of one piece, and is teardrop shaped. There is an edging between the back and sides of alternate strips of light and dark wood. There is purfling inside that of a black inked line, a brown inked band, and then two black inked lines. The neck and head are of figured maple. The top of the head is sickle shaped, and ends in a square terminal of quartered kingwood, surrounded by strips of light and dark wood, with a square in the centre of dark/light/dark wood. There is a brass watchkey tuning mechanism on the top of the head. The nut is ivory. The neck is 182mm long, 49mm wide at the nut and 60mm wide at the body join. The fingerboard is radiused and veneered in tortoiseshell with decorative mother-of-pearl ends. The first three frets have holes for a capotasto, which is of ivory with a brass turnknob at the top to tighten against the strings. There are 12 frets. String set up: 6 courses: (2×3) + (2×2) + (2×1) strings, 12 strings in total. Over size: 700mm Body length: 382mm Body width, widest point: 308mm Body depth: 97.5mm (bottom) - 77mm (neck join) String length: 427mm No inscriptions. With capotasto. Repair History: Bridge possibly a replacement.

Notes

A. Macaulay, November 1991; D.P. Martin, 2003.

Measurements

700.

Collection

Reid Collection ; MIMEd

Accession Number

0308

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