Greetings, I have a John Preston English Guitar with watch key tuners which I am researching how to repair. In 3 weeks I will be attending the June Convention of A.S.I.A. (Association of String Instrument Artisans) as a demonstrator of French Polishing. After the convention I will be visiting the Smithsonian in Washington DC which has a John Preston and a number of similar instruments. Does any one know who at the Smithsonian is knowledgeable about these instruments and in conservation and repair methods.
I suppose that the Smithsonian staff might send me back to my own 2 organizations (A.S.I.A.) and the Guild of American Luthiers. Nevertheless, I thought I might bring this up to the cittern group in case there is someone I should meet while I am in the Washington area since I will be traveling from California. I acquired this English Guittar last year and it is in very good condition except that the back has split on the seam between the 2 back panels. As a Spanish guitar builder I know how the Spaniards would go about this repair (to loosen the back with a hot knife) and reglue the back after inserting a strip of wood in the center seam to bridge the gap. The violin makers seem to remove a back with a wedge shaped knife which pries the back off (there are excellent repair manual which show this technique). I have experience with the Spanish guitar technique but not with the violin makers techniques so I intend to work through this project with a very experienced violin maker. However, long before undertaking this repair (which I intend to video tape) I am researching all possible methods for achieving a good repair. There is more to this repair but what I have stated sets the stage. So... if anyone is experienced with John Preston's construction methods I would like to hear from them. Later this year I will have some comments on Portuguese guitars which are occasionally mentioned here. Ron Fernandez www.fernandezmusic.com To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
