Restoration of a Michelot Late Baroque Guitar

by D. and F. Sinier de Ridder

Originally published in American Lutherie #101, 2010



For a majority of players, the big change brought about by the development of the 6-string guitar did not mean a sudden replacement of their 5-course guitars with the new instruments. Guitar makers did not suddenly make a fortune building 6-string guitars to answer an explosive demand for this novelty, even if it quickly raised a lot of interest all over Europe. The transition, for many years, was manifested in a cautious modification of the old instruments. Seventeenth-century Baroque guitars were still in circulation. They were richly adorned, made of expensive and noble materials — real pieces of art — and musicians accustomed to the sound of their favorite instruments were not ready to switch for the unknown. Even those with simpler “only wood” Baroque guitars could be frightened by the new playing problems, new tessitura (the vocal range of the instrument), larger necks, fixed frets, and such. As a result, many went to their luthiers asking for a modification to their beloved existing guitar. It seemed to many that it was a wise and cheap solution. Recall that at this time labor was less expensive than materials.

Facing that kind of request, luthiers transformed the Baroque instruments, modifying the heads, the neck widths, and even making more profound changes dealing sometimes with soundboards and bracings. To give a single example, we have seen a nice 5-course Lambert, modified by Lacôte who equipped her with his bracing system and his modern pegs, and a blocking mechanism he had used for some time.