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English guitar

"A large-sized instrument with pointed shoulders. Back of two pieces of sycamore. Belly of pine, the rose missing. The neck is slightly hollowed on the bass side and carries a nearly flat ivory fingerboard with shaped end, fourteen full frets of brass and two short frets, and five capotasto holes. An ebony capotasto is attached by a brass bolt. The head has an original enclosed worm-gear machine tuning, with brass ring-shaped fingerpieces. The square finial is faced with tortoiseshell in which is set a small silver shield with the initials J.G.D.." Anthony Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), p. 50.

  • Date:
    1765 (Made)
  • Maker:
    Gibson, William
  • Collection:
    Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Inventory number:
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  • Place of production:
    Dublin
  • Culture:
  • Period:
  • Materials:planed and joined pine soundboard; planed and joined sycamore back and sides; planed ivory fingerboard with brass frets; carved and planed ebony capotasto
  • Specific materials/techniques:
  • Decorative elements:
  • Inscriptions:W.Gibson, 1765 J.G.D.
  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:
  • Repository:Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Measurements:Length: 90 cm length total, Length: 40.5 cm length of body, Length: 53 cm string length, Width: 35.6 cm, Depth: 7.2 cm