I'm so excited to get this back. Robbie, thanks for your skill and dedication. This guitar sat in my Father-In-Law's garage for many years, and i received it after he passed. It was passed down to him from his Mother, who received it from her Mother, who was a touring Pianist in Europe in the late 19th/early 20th century. As Robbie said, once you went above the 4th or 5th fret, it would get sharp, at least 1/2 a step at the 12th fret. That is no longer an issue, thanks to Robbie. Who originally made it is still a mystery, as the label was removed at some point to repair some cracks. I'm just thrilled I'll be able to play it in tune! Thanks Robbie!
You did a great job. The guitar has a pleasant sound and you play it well. Lately I listened to a few classical guitarists, but gave it up because of the harsh sound of the modern guitars. I could listen to your playing all day.
Beautiful guitar. You said the sound wasn’t anything to write home about, but I respectfully disagree. I’m shopping for a parlor size guitar right now, and I haven’t heard one that sounds as good as that one. Must be that old wood.
Remarkable job resurrecting this little gem from the dead! Especially given the family history it has with the owner! Sure, it doesn't sound quite like my Ramirez, but she makes up for it in character bigtime. I especially respect the trouble you took to salvage the gorgeous inlays. A delicate question (I hope you don't mind my asking, and don't mind answering) : Approximately how many hours did you spend on this renovation, and approximately how much did it cost? I only ask because it would be good to have an idea of the cost of a similar job, should I ever be lucky enough to find something like this with similar issues. I just got a lovely little Washburn parlor guitar made around 1910; when my luthier looked it over he was amazed to find not a single crack in the Brazilian Rosewood, nor the spruce top! He's around 70 years old, and said it was the first one in a lifetime of lutherie he had ever seen that was 100% intact. (We live in the AZ desert, but the guitar came from LA, so I will have to be very careful with maintaining humidity.) With some very delicate and pretty geometric perfling, it's only issue is of course it needs a neck reset, which is scheduled for the end of May. Also at some point in its life the entire ebony pyramid bridge had been replaced, (probably to improve intonation), and unfortunately the skills of the bridge-fabricator were a wee bit lacking. Still, everything was set up in the right spot, just not the most attractive job. Oh well, one can't have everything! ;) As a senior citizen with numerous health and arthritis issues, I've lately been discovering the joys of parlor guitars, especially the ones that are even smaller than the Martin size 0. Last year I found a 1963 Martin model 5-16 (AKA Terz), and after her obligatory neck reset she's just a joy to play. So comfy that it is too easy to fall asleep with her in your lap! No one had even installed a strap pin on the neck heel, so I got a super thin (3/4") Levy's jacquard Uke/Mando strap attached so she won't slide to the floor. I know it's a bit morbid, but that's the guitar I'd like to have in my lap when I 'strum my final chorus'... ;)
I don't remember how many hours it took and how much I charged. This was several years ago. Most of the time, restoring these old instruments is a labor of love because it is hard to charge your hourly rate. They are very labor intensive. I have heard of many people going to smaller and smaller guitars as they age. Not only are they comfortable, but they sound great! Cheers!
Wow! Robert! :-O You are certainly a most accomplished Luthier and guitar player. Found the informations SO interesting including how you were planning to fix it. Loved that you played while we could see each restoration steps. fascinating. Great video! Thank you so much for sharing! Oh, and YES, it is a fabulous looking and sounding Parlor!!!♥♥ :-)
Great video. I have an 1860 Glaesel German guitar that plays well. It has many cracks and has been previously repaired. I just put lower tension Lute strings on it which changed the sound but helped with intonation. I love how you played while showing stages of the process. Really nice!
Beautiful work! Your quick edit of the process is inspiring. There's an old Stella harmony hanging around my shop waiting for neck reset. New fretboard also a great idea. Thanks for sharing.
The material of the nut and the saddle would be particularly interesting to get out the last notch of sound. If one of the pins got lost, maybe the saddle also got lost? Who knows. I guess, as this is a master repair, you already built in bone or tusq or some other material of equal quality. But in the unlikely event of having cheap plastic materials as substitute for the original bone/ivory, a huge chunk of sound would be lost.
Early Romantic guitars are not parlor guitars. The term "Parlor" guitar is frequently misused. A "Parlor" guitar is actually a guitar with a smaller body size, around the turn of the 20th century. Some true parlor guitars are gut/nylon, but many are steel-string.
I acquired a Germany east guitar and not sure about it. It looks like a classical but the neck is too thin. Only one article on the brand that says maybe 1950's. Not sure.. this video came up on my research.
Beautiful work on this old trouper. Very thoughtful restoration. But I would write home about the sound of it. IMO guitars are not like violins, where you have the "perfect" sound pegged to your Stradivarii and Amatis. I wouldn't trade my rosewood, x-braced jumbo for a parlor, but for certain tunes and certain songs, I love that sound. I notice you gravitated immediately to a romantic vibe-influence of the guitar? Guys pay a lot of bucks so their electric guitars can sound all sorts of ways, yet they fixate on a single sound for an acoustic guitar.
This is strung w/ Ball End Nylon strings because Steel Strings weren't yet invented until the 20th Century (1900s), back in those days these Guitars were originally designed for Gut Strings (nowadays Nylon). When Martin expanded their catalogue w/ Steel String Guitar they had to make a stronger & heavier version of that X bracing system. This Guitar is actually great for beginners because the Nylon Strings will protect their fingers.
Thanks so much for sharing that Robert - great skills. I'm about to start repairing a parlor guitar that I built some years ago and will be using some of your ideas. For interest could you advise the scale length and string clearances at the 12th fret.
I don't remember the scale length. It was custom to make the guitar playable. The action ai generally shoot for on a nylon string guitar is 3.5mm and 2.5mm
I have a similar looking instrument with abalone set in white mastic on the rosette and below on the soundboard. It has one original Jerome tuner and missing the other. Could I ask what type tuners were on your guitar? Also, have any idea who built it? Perhaps Henriche Schatz, a friend of CF Martin?
Steel strings were not available at the time this guitar was made. Neither were nylon strings but we decided to put nylon instead of gut strings on this guitar.
How do you feel about fish glue for bracing? Seems to me I heard Romanillos used fish glue almost exclusively. Can high humidity be an issue in the life of the instrument?
I live in a very low humidity environment, but cold. I sometimes have trouble with hide glue do to low temperatures and short open times. My concern with the fish glue is long term for the instrument. If it ends up living in S Florida, could it be an issue or once "cured" is all ok? Thanks
well, I wouldn't play it in the bathroom. haha I have heard of people living in very high humidity environments and never having an issue but I have also heard of folks having issues with humidity and fish glue.
I'm so excited to get this back. Robbie, thanks for your skill and dedication. This guitar sat in my Father-In-Law's garage for many years, and i received it after he passed. It was passed down to him from his Mother, who received it from her Mother, who was a touring Pianist in Europe in the late 19th/early 20th century. As Robbie said, once you went above the 4th or 5th fret, it would get sharp, at least 1/2 a step at the 12th fret. That is no longer an issue, thanks to Robbie. Who originally made it is still a mystery, as the label was removed at some point to repair some cracks. I'm just thrilled I'll be able to play it in tune! Thanks Robbie!
That it an amazing story.....
Awesome piece of history come back to life.
I have a similar guitar and also had the label removed. Mine is an 1860 Glaesel. This site helped me find out about it. www.earlyromanticguitar.com/
I think this guitar was stolen at some point,and i guess whoever did, tried their best to erase the persons name off the back or a serial number.
I'd would definitely write home about this one. The sound is perfect for my ear!
Wow!!!! I'm so impressed with your work on this guitar. It looks and sounds really great!!!!
Thank you for the compliment!
This was an absolute pleasure to watch, One hell of a job, man! You’re a master of your craft
Fun to see your work in process and nice playing as well. On a lot of different levels, Robert, you did that instrument proud!
Thank you!
Very cute little Guitar.
You did a great job. The guitar has a pleasant sound and you play it well. Lately I listened to a few classical guitarists, but gave it up because of the harsh sound of the modern guitars. I could listen to your playing all day.
Thank you
What a lovely piece of work on that beautiful guitar! Thanks for posting.
Beautiful guitar. You said the sound wasn’t anything to write home about, but I respectfully disagree. I’m shopping for a parlor size guitar right now, and I haven’t heard one that sounds as good as that one. Must be that old wood.
So much work… Fantastic!
Remarkable job resurrecting this little gem from the dead! Especially given the family history it has with the owner! Sure, it doesn't sound quite like my Ramirez, but she makes up for it in character bigtime. I especially respect the trouble you took to salvage the gorgeous inlays.
A delicate question (I hope you don't mind my asking, and don't mind answering) : Approximately how many hours did you spend on this renovation, and approximately how much did it cost? I only ask because it would be good to have an idea of the cost of a similar job, should I ever be lucky enough to find something like this with similar issues. I just got a lovely little Washburn parlor guitar made around 1910; when my luthier looked it over he was amazed to find not a single crack in the Brazilian Rosewood, nor the spruce top! He's around 70 years old, and said it was the first one in a lifetime of lutherie he had ever seen that was 100% intact. (We live in the AZ desert, but the guitar came from LA, so I will have to be very careful with maintaining humidity.) With some very delicate and pretty geometric perfling, it's only issue is of course it needs a neck reset, which is scheduled for the end of May. Also at some point in its life the entire ebony pyramid bridge had been replaced, (probably to improve intonation), and unfortunately the skills of the bridge-fabricator were a wee bit lacking. Still, everything was set up in the right spot, just not the most attractive job. Oh well, one can't have everything! ;)
As a senior citizen with numerous health and arthritis issues, I've lately been discovering the joys of parlor guitars, especially the ones that are even smaller than the Martin size 0. Last year I found a 1963 Martin model 5-16 (AKA Terz), and after her obligatory neck reset she's just a joy to play. So comfy that it is too easy to fall asleep with her in your lap! No one had even installed a strap pin on the neck heel, so I got a super thin (3/4") Levy's jacquard Uke/Mando strap attached so she won't slide to the floor. I know it's a bit morbid, but that's the guitar I'd like to have in my lap when I 'strum my final chorus'... ;)
I don't remember how many hours it took and how much I charged. This was several years ago. Most of the time, restoring these old instruments is a labor of love because it is hard to charge your hourly rate. They are very labor intensive. I have heard of many people going to smaller and smaller guitars as they age. Not only are they comfortable, but they sound great! Cheers!
Great job! Watching the repair process makes me want to go back to fixing guitars.
I think it sounds fabulous
Wow! You are a super talented luthier. Thanks for all of your informative and interesting videos ive watched many of them to work on my guitars!
Thanks for watching. I am glad you are finding my videos useful.
Great job and a perfect decision concerning the fretboard.
Wow! Robert! :-O You are certainly a most accomplished Luthier and guitar player. Found the informations SO interesting including how you were planning to fix it. Loved that you played while we could see each restoration steps. fascinating. Great video! Thank you so much for sharing! Oh, and YES, it is a fabulous looking and sounding Parlor!!!♥♥ :-)
Thanks for watching.
Real beauty !
Nicely done Robbie. Very cool piece of history.
Fantastic instrument AND work! Guitar records very well.
Wow! Great intonation now!!
Wow, beautiful guitar!
What a cool piece.
Great job, Robbie!
Great video. I have an 1860 Glaesel German guitar that plays well. It has many cracks and has been previously repaired. I just put lower tension Lute strings on it which changed the sound but helped with intonation. I love how you played while showing stages of the process. Really nice!
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed the video.
Beautiful work! Your quick edit of the process is inspiring. There's an old Stella harmony hanging around my shop waiting for neck reset. New fretboard also a great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you found the video useful. Thanks for watching.
That guitar is Beautiful it has great sustain & was pretty loud for a tiny parlor guitar. Thank you for showing us. You are an amazing craftsman
Thank you Scott.
Romantic guitar
I think the guitar sounds GREAT!! Your performance is excellent as well.
Thank you.
Very Cool!
A sweet sounding "little" guitar...projects well!
The material of the nut and the saddle would be particularly interesting to get out the last notch of sound. If one of the pins got lost, maybe the saddle also got lost? Who knows. I guess, as this is a master repair, you already built in bone or tusq or some other material of equal quality. But in the unlikely event of having cheap plastic materials as substitute for the original bone/ivory, a huge chunk of sound would be lost.
Perfect, excellent!!!
Awesome work!!
Early Romantic guitars are not parlor guitars. The term "Parlor" guitar is frequently misused. A "Parlor" guitar is actually a guitar with a smaller body size, around the turn of the 20th century. Some true parlor guitars are gut/nylon, but many are steel-string.
Thanks for the clarification.
@@OBrienGuitars Thanks fot the great work you do
WOW great job!
Amazing job
Roberto... as always a wonderful job *-* E que bela composição no fim :D
Muito obrigado e um grande abraço!
Really cool
I believe Paganini used a parlor guitar
I wonder like how could you insert the nylon strings in the pin, sir. But thanks for playing. Such an amazing sound
Just tie a knot on the end of the string.
I acquired a Germany east guitar and not sure about it. It looks like a classical but the neck is too thin. Only one article on the brand that says maybe 1950's. Not sure.. this video came up on my research.
Lindo "violão"!
that's a nice sounding guitar .
Beautiful work on this old trouper. Very thoughtful restoration. But I would write home about the sound of it. IMO guitars are not like violins, where you have the "perfect" sound pegged to your Stradivarii and Amatis. I wouldn't trade my rosewood, x-braced jumbo for a parlor, but for certain tunes and certain songs, I love that sound. I notice you gravitated immediately to a romantic vibe-influence of the guitar? Guys pay a lot of bucks so their electric guitars can sound all sorts of ways, yet they fixate on a single sound for an acoustic guitar.
This is strung w/ Ball End Nylon strings because Steel Strings weren't yet invented until the 20th Century (1900s), back in those days these Guitars were originally designed for Gut Strings (nowadays Nylon). When Martin expanded their catalogue w/ Steel String Guitar they had to make a stronger & heavier version of that X bracing system. This Guitar is actually great for beginners because the Nylon Strings will protect their fingers.
Thanks so much for sharing that Robert - great skills. I'm about to start repairing a parlor guitar that I built some years ago and will be using some of your ideas. For interest could you advise the scale length and string clearances at the 12th fret.
I don't remember the scale length. It was custom to make the guitar playable. The action ai generally shoot for on a nylon string guitar is 3.5mm and 2.5mm
Thanks for coming back so promptly Robert - that gives me a good starting point.
Nice! You da man, Robbie.
Thanks John. Hope all is well.
Nice version of Se Ella Preguntar
Thank you.
I have a similar looking instrument with abalone set in white mastic on the rosette and below on the soundboard. It has one original Jerome tuner and missing the other. Could I ask what type tuners were on your guitar? Also, have any idea who built it? Perhaps Henriche Schatz, a friend of CF Martin?
I don't remember much about this instrument. It has been several years since completing the repair.
Great job and what a gorgeous instrument. That inlay fitted just perfectly. What did you use to carve out the pocket for the inlay?
Thank you. I use a pencil die grinder and a 1/32 spiral bit to do the inlay cavities. The tool is air powered and I do it all by hand.
Robert, great video and craftsmanship - I keep coming back to listen to your playing - how is it called the song you are playing?
Thanks for the compliment. The piece I am playing at the end is a Brazilian waltz call "Se ela perguntar" by Dilermando Reis
What was that beautiful song?
4:00 ¿U use regular nails to locate the fretboard?. Great job with the original inlays. That looks super hard to do.
I am using 18 gauge finishing nails from a nail gun
good job, my question is, what kind of strings does it use? What relief did you set?
Good questions
I used D addario strings and set the action at 3.5mm on the 6th string and 2.5 on the 1st string.
Perfectly it turned out. Fine guitar. But why aren 't the strings metallic?
Steel strings were not available at the time this guitar was made. Neither were nylon strings but we decided to put nylon instead of gut strings on this guitar.
Hi,
Great job. How much does this repair job cost?
That probably cost a few coin. Nice job...
What is the scale length? I'd love to now. Thanks!
I am sorry. I don't remember the scale length.
Great work (and playing,) know anyone in the U.K. of a similar standard? I have two very sick Wilhelm Kruse parlour guitars.
Ship them to Robbie!
Thanks for the compliment. Unfortunately i know of no one in the UK I can recommend.
Arthur Robb, based in the south east of England, has done a lot of restoration work on 19th century instruments, mainly Panormo guitars and lutes.
@@johnjamieson7087 O.k, just checked his website, seems very capable, thanks for the recommend.
Hello. I have a Telésforo Julve. I need to sell it. It has a litlle damage on they front. I am in México City.
Nicely done, was that fish glue on the fretboard??
yes. I used fish glue for the long open time.
How do you feel about fish glue for bracing? Seems to me I heard Romanillos used fish glue almost exclusively. Can high humidity be an issue in the life of the instrument?
I use it a lot. If you live in high humidity areas you might want to choose another glue.
I live in a very low humidity environment, but cold. I sometimes have trouble with hide glue do to low temperatures and short open times. My concern with the fish glue is long term for the instrument. If it ends up living in S Florida, could it be an issue or once "cured" is all ok?
Thanks
well, I wouldn't play it in the bathroom. haha I have heard of people living in very high humidity environments and never having an issue but I have also heard of folks having issues with humidity and fish glue.
Hello. Could you tell me the name of the song please?
Se ela perguntar
@@OBrienGuitars thank you
I really wanna have an antique parlor guitar, unless it attracts ghosts.
Привет из Украины! Восхитительная работа!
большое спасибо
Hi Dima! I also belong to Robbie's group and built a guitar with him. BTW, I also live half the year in Kiev. We should get together sometime! Gavril
Greetings! I live in the Dnepropetrovsk region. It's far to Kiev) But if there's an event, I'll probably come.
Otlichna!
parlor guitar from germany = yep got that - about 20 times ! = so is that a parlor guitar from germany ?
haha - you are a good listener. BTW - this is a parlor guitar from Germany.
it's not a Parlor guitar, it's a Romantic guitar
Looks like my Sigma
This was not a "woman's" guitar.... you should not be working parlor guitars.
Just passing along what my research showed.