a few months ago, my family and i returned to the czech republic for three weeks to visit relatives and whatnot.
while there, we came to own this guitar.. a friend of mine, an artist, gave it to me. i didn't want to accept it, because it seemed such a beautiful thing, and only harm could come of my owning it...
my father, on the other hand, was very enthusiastic, so he took it.
i couldn't sleep that night, because the person who gave it to me isn't really so well off. i was torn somewhere between enrapturement with the guitar and disbelief with my father. i won't disclose his name, but this person has to pick walnuts for a living and sell them by the kilogram. i suppose you can decide yourself how much a kilogram of walnuts fetches. all because of westerners like us who take advantage of the exchange rate being in our favour.
:(
(my father isn't really such a bad person. i just didn't have the heart to tell him all of this.)
but enough of my drivel..
i believe that this is a little over one hundred years old, made in bohemia.
we don't really leave it outside.. i thought that i would rather use the natural light.
the head-stock...
apparently somebody cut grooves into the neck on purpose... i think that perhaps, once upon a time, this guitar did not have frets, but rather these grooves to indicate pitch... (i could be mistaken.)
the back... this is probably one of the most prominent signs of its age, because it is curved.. like a violin...
in case it's hard to see this from the previous picture, here's another, slightly to the side...
i think that this is a nice decoration... not very much seems to be done aesthetically anymore..
the very faded inscription..
it's difficult to make out some of what this says.. but of what's there - "the musical instrument brothers - out [of] bohemia". all the rest but "schöubach" (the creator's name?) is too faded to make out.
(sorry to any german speakers, i know very little german...). :oops:
and one more, looking beautiful...
...
well, there you go. i hope you enjoyed looking at that. i thought that i should preserve this beautiful thing with pictures as soon as possible ... unfortunately, my parents are completely insane and like to live in horrible tropical climates.. so the wood will probably soon perish. :cry:
That is a truly beautiful guitar. I would love to have one like that. Wow. You my friend are a lucky man. Enjoy it.
aka Izabella
I agree its a beautiful guitar. Those look more like wear marks. To some it would have been disrespectful and an insult to refuse. Perhaps he was thinking of the future and knew it would be in great hands with you. Enjoy life.
Joe
The dents, in the fretboard, are good old honest wear - it's where the guitar has played thousands and thousands of chords
Oh, wow. That's something else.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
Actually the bridge is better sign of age then the back.
I'd give it a guess of about 1880
The word that come after "Gebrüder" is important - it's the name of the brothers who built the guitar - could it be Brecht? Precht?
Schönbach is where they had their business
Wow, incredible! That one has a lot of stories to tell I'll bet. I agree with Forrok about the intent of the gift. You lost sleep over it and felt the need not to tell your father about your feelings because, I guess you're from a different era. I'm sure your dad had no such misgivings about accepting such a beautiful gift.
When someone with nothing gives you something, it becomes of more worth and value than just about anything else. And it has nothing to do with the actual or imagined cost of the item - it's the pricelessness of the giving itself.
There are ways to preserve old instruments. Here on this board are many people with lots of knowledge about this and many other things. Hopefully there'll be some suggestions that'll come along, but from me, if you can, perhaps take the thing to a reputable luthier when you get back home; one who deals with older instruments, or even makes replicas. Even a violin shop might have someone to give you advice or at least point you to someone who works on guitars and lutes exclusively.
Even if this instrument winds up not being playable it's a wonderful gift from a time long passed. It should be treasured as such, and I'm sure you will. :)
Take care.
Go to http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/ and post in the Guitar/Bass forum. Ask for a guy named Light - he is a luthier who hangs out there, and can tell you how to take care of it in your climate. He might even know something about it's value or history.
Third Take a blog about home recording
