Guitar lifespans -- good news!

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a_arnold

Posts: 558
Joined: Jul. 30 2006

Guitar lifespans -- good news!

I just read (in The Development of the Modern Guitar" by John Huber) that the idea that guitars have a limited lifespan is mythology.

You all probably already know this, but apparently, the advent of nylon strings put 10%+ more tension on older guitars designed for gut. This began to happen in 1938 when WW2 was ramping up and Segovia was unable to get his favorite (German) gut strings for his Hauser, and appealed to duPont for help.

The transition to nylon, which really got going after WW2, didn't cause outright failure in most guitars, but the older gut-strung ones sounded relatively dead compared to the new ones being designed to withstand nylon, and a mythology developed that old guitars go "dead" due to age. Apparently, this isn't so. It was just the result of an unfair comparison of older (gut-strung) guitars with their more modern counterparts when both were strung with nylon.

During all this, guitar design changed to accommodate the greater tension of nylon, and because greater volume was now possible, new designs emphasized that aspect -- which was when (and why) Segovia switched from his beloved Hauser to the legendary Ramirez they built especially for his (larger) hands. His (previously gut-strung) Hauser could no longer compete in the concert hall.

Which means that the new nylon-strung designs haven't been around long enough yet to show their age. Maybe they'll improve, like the Strads. The older gut-strung ones will only sound right when gut-strung (and they can't be as loud with the lower tension) so a comparison of old (pre-WW2) with new is unfair.

Interesting. I guess it's true. The author is a professor of guitar and researched it.

Anyway -- has anybody ever heard an old (or for that matter, new) recording of flamenco on a gut-strung guitar? I have Ramon Montoya's first LP, and some older recordings from the 50's, and the guitars seem to have less sustain and less volume, but I don't know if they were nylon strung, and the record jacket doesn't say. It could also be the quality of the recording.

The singers also have less sustain ...8-)

And has anybody got any comments (reviews, etc) on Huber's book? For example, is he expressing fact or opinion when he says that the 65cm guitar is the instrument preferred by amateurs and that the "real" pros play on 66cm? I know PDL plays a 66cm negra, but surely there are some pros with small hands . . . ?

Tony Arnold

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 2 2007 21:13:41

Ricardo

Posts: 14852
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Guitar lifespans -- good news! (in reply to a_arnold)

quote:

And has anybody got any comments (reviews, etc) on Huber's book? For example, is he expressing fact or opinion when he says that the 65cm guitar is the instrument preferred by amateurs and that the "real" pros play on 66cm? I know PDL plays a 66cm negra, but surely there are some pros with small hands . . . ?

My opinion is that is a bunch of crap.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 3 2007 21:38:12

a_arnold

Posts: 558
Joined: Jul. 30 2006

RE: Guitar lifespans -- good news! (in reply to a_arnold)

Good. I feel better now. I play both 65 and 66 cm, and to tell the truth, the difference in feel to my hands isn't very noticeable. The longer stretch is distributed over the full length of the string, and doesn't really become noticeable over a 4-5 fret stretch, even in first position. But the 66+ length does give more sustain and volume. Maybe because the longer string has to be stretched tighter to reach the same pitch. I read about 10% more tension . . .

BTW, I just bought a Salvador Castillo negra (66.2cm) to go with my Castillo blanca (65) and the comparison is very interesting. Same maker, same building techniques, very different sound.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2007 22:49:56