Brad McEwen wrote:
thesmaller instrument next to it looks like a Guittarr
> Allemande, but it appears to have a fixed bridge and a more
modern stylke headstock. Same basic body shape,though.
I hadn't noticed that. In fact I don't think anybody had noticed the
similarity before you did.
The picture is a detail from a well known photo of Napoleon Coste posing
with his four guitars. In addition to these two the full photo shows his
regular seven-stringer and a Swedish lute - both equipped witht that
peculiar bridge/tailpiece combo seen on the bass guitar.
The small instrument is generally regarded as just a terz guitar (is
there a good English name for it?), the body shape being nothing but an
intersting but insignificant oddity.
However, take a look at these three:
http://www.studia-instrumentorum.de/MUSEUM/ZISTER/0619.htm
http://www.studia-instrumentorum.de/MUSEUM/ZISTER/0621.htm
http://www.studia-instrumentorum.de/MUSEUM/ZISTER/bindernagel_1804.htm
The first one is a fairly standard French Guitarr Allemande ("German
Guitar") except it has a regular peghead. It's believed to have been
made by Le Blond who also made similar instruments with Preston tuners.
The second is also a Guitarr Allemande with a regular peghead. This one
actually is German though - made by Bindernagel - and the number of
strings has been reduced to eight.
No. 3 is another Bindernagel, only this one has a fixed bridge and only
seven strings. Remove one more strings, modernize the peghead design and
we have Coste's guitar.
Frank Nordberg
http://www.musicaviva.com
http://stores.ebay.com/Nordbergs-Music-Store?refid=store
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