On Monday, December 05, 2005 1:58 PM [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
... I have a similar
problem with the bridge of my guitar! The slots for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd
courses have worn away so that is is dificult to tie the two strings of a
course so that they stay apart. I have to use a litle strip of card board
underneath them! Will have to have a new bridge one day...
This can be easily resolved by replacing the top part of the bridge, instead
of fitting a new one. With some care the slots in this top part can even be
shaped to resemble those of the Quito bridge - very practical idea indeed!
... I wonder if it could be slightly older that the early
17th century. St. Mariana might have inherited from a predecessor, and
just
used it to just pick out the melody or second part as she sung. that
would
explain why it is not a female-friendly instrument!
Difficult to say at the moment. From constructional point of view, however,
it may most certainly mirror earlier, flat-back models of the vihuela (i.e.
from late 16th century), in particularly such features as two-bar
arrangement on the soundboard and one-piece neck / neck block / peg head
construction. In fact these are also featured on some surviving early - mid
17th century Italian guitars which is, in a way, hardly surprising.
Alexander
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