At 01:07 PM 11/7/2006, Paul Pleijsier wrote: > >>There are a number of makers building them, however. > >>I can't find anyone in the States that makes a Staufer > >>copy. > >Why not skip Stauffer and start making early-C. F. Martin copies?
I agree, thus my lamenting that such instruments are tragically overlooked. Several years ago, I asked Martin about having such a thing built in their custom shop. Don't bother asking: they can't (they can't/won't do anything smaller than their standard size 0 or old-fashioned pin-bridge w/fan brace configurations, etc.) and what they would do would be obscenely expensive. I even toyed with the idea of luthiery myself just to reproduce those transitional, American profile, fan- or X-braced ca. 1840-50 Martins. As mentioned, I consider these to be the first guitars of a recognizable American style. I never really delved into it beyond pricing materials. For the direct e-mails, here's me with a very fine early Martin (still in Germanic style) at the Met. Eugene -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
