Guitar
Maker
Salvador Ramirez
Date1840 ca.
Place MadeMálaga, Spain, Europe
SignedPrinted on round, lined paper label with single line border: SALVADOR RAMIREZ / [engraved image of guitar over trumpets horns, castanets, an oboe, and leaves ] / MALAGADescriptionStringing: six gut strings
Soundboard: three-piece spruce with medium to fine grain; portion of top in lower treble bass bout replaced within original period of use; black stenciled paint decoration likely dates to this time of repair; no dome
Back: three piece; outer two pieces of Brazilian rosewood with center portion of bird's-eye-maple, this portion wider toward bottom; center portion inlaid on each side with two-ply rosewood and maple strip; very slight dome along / across grain
Ribs: two-piece Brazilian rosewood divided by bird's eye maple graft strip
Head: two-piece cedar veneered in rosewood on face with carved hook at top; Spanish splice head joint
Neck: quartered Spanish cedar; heel made from two additional pieces; neck angle 2mm lift upward
Heel cap: bird's eye maple
Binding: rosewood on top; light hardwood on back
Fingerboard: rosewood with festooned lower end; 18 nickel-silver frets (original)
Nut: bone
Bridge: rosewood tie bridge with bone teardrop inlays on each side, surrounded by two-ply strip of light and dark hardwood; bone strips on front and back of tie loop; the one toward the fingerboard installed by Richard Brune due to missing original
Pegs: brown hardwood with ivory pins and ivory turned decorative caps on stem ends; current ones installed on guitar reproductions made by Richard Brune based on originals preserved in case
Endpin: none
Rosette: chevron pattern of light, medium, and dark hardwood surrounded on each side by 8-ply strips of alternating light and dark hardwood, of varying thicknesses; two rings on each side comprised of medium hardwood strip with natural wood in between
Varnish: clear French polish / shellac
Linings: spruce or pine
Neck block: cedar; Spanish foot
End block: spruce or pine with grain running parallel to top and back, thin and slightly tapered off on sides
Top braces: spruce or pine transverse braces above and below soundhole; four thin fan braces in lower bout
Back braces: thin spruce grafts at joints between center strip and sides above first brace; rosewood cleats on these joints below this brace; two spruce back braces with slight handsaw marks
Other: tapered spruce strips glued to inside of sides at position of each back brace; fine toothed plane marks on inside of top, back, and sides
DimensionsTotal guitar length: 943 mm
Back length: 450 mm
Upper bout width: 234 mm
Waist width: 180.5 mm
Lower bout width: 296.5 mm
Rib height (including edging) at heel: 94 mm
Rib height, at waist: 98 mm
Rib height, at end block: 101 mm
Head length: 175 mm
Head width, volute: 80 mm
Head width, bottom: 67 mm
Neck length (nut to ribs): 316 mm
Neck thickness at 1st fret: 23.7 mm
Neck thickness at 9th freth 25.5 mm
Neck width, nut: 47 mm
Neck width, heel: 56 mm
Fingerboard width at end: 59 mm
Soundhole diameter: 82 mm
Bridge height: 10.5 mm (to saddle)
Vibrating string length (nut to bridge edge): 633 mm
Scale: 634 mm
Credit LineGift of Susan and Larry Sheets, 2023
Object number15683
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