Item 29
Price: $45,000
Appraised Value 2016: $50,000
Appraised Value 2021: $60,000
This guitar is an example of Marcelo Barbero’s early work and is rare since he built few classical instruments due to the high demand for his flamenco guitars.
The soundboard is made of straight-grained halves of spruce with grain spacing of 30 per inch near the center ranging to 11 per inch at the edges. The rosette consists of circles and bands in black, red and green. The bridge is made of rosewood and the wings, with two inlaid mother-of-pearl diamond-shaped snowflakes, are of increasing depth towards the ends to present a curved underside to fit the curve of the domed top. The tie-block is edged in bone to protect against string wear.
Back and sides are of delicately grained Brazilian rosewood with single purfling. The guitar has two identical labels, one in the normal location, glued to the back and visible through the soundhole, and one glued to the soundboard next to the endblock, likely to convey authenticity. Head and neck are cedar with the face of the head veneered with rosewood. The rosewood fingerboard has medium frets.
Harmonic bars and crossbars have tapered ends and the center seam of the back is reinforced with a strip of lengthwise-grained cedar. Harmonic bars and crossbars rest on thin triangular rib-blocks. The top lining is of separate blocks and the back lining is kerfed.
The guitar has been restored and a French polish refinish has been applied. Tone is mature, balanced and sweet with moderate volume.
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