Kurt Decorte WORKSHOP
Reginald Warnefordstraat
120, B-9040 St.-Amandsberg (Ghent), BELGIUM
Mobile: 00 32 (0) 486/284666
e-mail:
kurtdecorte@the-guitarworkshop.com
RESTORATION/CONSERVATION ~ TRADE
~ EXPERTISE
19th century guitars
Classical guitars
and other original related plucked instruments!
since 1994
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INDEX
(click bellow for more info and photos)
Marchal à Paris c.1800 SOLD |
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Mougeot
à Mirecourt 1823 Andreas Zettler Wien c.1820 David Bittner Terz Wien 1860-1863 Louis Panormo 1831 ..... |
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FOR SALE
Marchal à Paris c.1790-1800
+ original black french polished wooden case
SOLD
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Marcard - Lemaitre c.1840
+ original black french polished wooden case
SOLD
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RESTORATIONS Finished
Since 15 years I've done A LOT of
restoration work
for collectors and players worldwide.
Lacote's, Panormo's, Petit-Jean's, Coffe's (-Goguette),
Blaise le Jeune, Stauf(f)er guitars, Fabricatore's, ...
and much more 18-19th century guitars.
Manuel Ramirez, F.Simplicio, D.Friederich, D.Field,
S.Hernandez, .....
and much more classical guitars.
multi stringed guitars, english guitars, lyre guitars,
18th century mandolins, 18th century cisters, ....
This is some of my most recent restorationwork.
Mougeot à Mirecourt 1823
Andreas Zettler Wien 1821-1822
David Bittner Terz Wien 1860-1863
L.Panormo 1831
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Mougeot à Mirecourt 1823 (private collection)
Before
RESTORATION
brandstamp "MOU..../A.PARIS" on the inside of the back. (inside vineered with spruce, outside Brazilian Rosewood)
Years I didn't know the excact maker of this guitar!
Finally I took of the back and saw the next inscription written on the innerside of the table:
"feciet par/Mougeot/A Mirecourt/1823".
FINISHED
Back: Brazilian Rosewood vineered with spruce on the innerside
Sides: massive Brazilian Rosewood
top: spruce, neck: vineered with ebony
bridge: ebony with bone saddle
mother of pearl harringbone
stringlenght: 63.9 cm.
topnut: 44 mm., 12th fret: 57 mm.
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Andreas Zettler Wien 1821-1822(private collection)
Zettler (Zeitler), Andreas
Erw.1814-1823; Gitarrenmacher
Different "adresses" found in the book:
" Wiener Musikinstrumentenmacher 1766-1900"
Adressenverzeichnis und Bibliographie by Rudolf Hopfner
Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien; 1999; 641p.
1814-1815: am Spittelberg 111 (R), 1816, 1817: o.Adr. (R), 1818-1820: zu St. Ulrich 47 (R)
1821-1822: zu St. Ulrich 13 (= Nr.47) im Apothekerhause, im 2. Stock (R)
1823: Josephstadt, Kaiserstrasse 131 (Z)
Label reads: (on the second floor!) |
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BEFORE
fingerboard from beginning till 7-8 position was damaged, new piece in the first position, wrong neck angle, several cracks in the decoration on the left and right side from 12th till 20th fret, a few cracks in the table, wrong ebony bridge, loose backbars and of the top harmonic bars, no tuningpegs, ...
RESTORATION
The bridge was not original. As many "copied" viennese bridges, this bridge was made in EBONY.
For the Viennese-school this is a totally wrong choise of wood, because ebony is to heavy and the colour is 'to black'.
Original its always the same brown, dark, look alike fruitwood the makers were using.
Untill today nobody can tell me the excact kind of wood they were using for the early viennese bridges like we have here.
I am always copying viennese bridges from straight grained pearwood.
After colouring the bridge 'black' with campeche and brass-oxide, I coat it with a final brown watercolour to give it the right "tone" of colour as original. Finally I'am french-polishing the bridge a very little bid on top. This gives for me the best result.
The 6 holes in the table were filled with 6 new pieces of spruce wood.
Glueing lose bars of the table without damaging the the top of the bars itself.
For glueing cracks I'am using for many years thick plastick with a shannel as seen on the photos bellow.
This helps to hold both sides of the crack on the same level. The flippo's (new piece of wood)I'am shaping 'conical'.
The neck was standing backward, was rotated in the lenght and the fingerboard was full of damages
THIS WAS MISSION IMPOSSIBLE!
So after I took the decision to remove the complete fingerboard first I took off the frets (see the light brown damages)
and than started to remove the COMPLETE fingerboard.
The upper part from the 12th fret was ful of little cracks on the outside -and- innerside.
Interesting was the joint of the neck with the body!
BEFORE and AFTER
BEFORE and AFTER
Neck was totally bowed back and rotated in the lenght.
Fretted with messing BAR frets -as original-
I made this on the right thickness, 0.8 mm., with my very old lady!
THIS IS THE RESULT! I made a perfect playable guitar again.
The fingerboard is been glued into 2 parts as original.
And finally some new ebony tuningpegs completely made in the Viennese style and period.
FINISHED
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David Bittner Terz Wien 1860-1863 (private collection)
BEFORE
long crack in the back, loose backbars, totally wrong bridge,
tuningpegs to deep into the tuningslots, a few little cracks beside the fingerboard,...
RESTORATION
Glueing the several cracks and re-inforced with japanese paper. Cleaning the back and reglueing the backbars.
Removing the wrong bridge and making the right design as still was seen on the original place.
(thanks to my colleage in France Erik Hofmann for his professional advise)
I am always copying viennese bridges as described above with the restoration of the Andreas Zettler guitar of Wien.
The 6 holes in the table were filled with 6 new pieces of spruce wood.
Saddle of the bridge is a T-fret made of brass.
FINISHED
Result of the top and back!
filled up the 6 holes of the head and re-used the original pegs again.
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Louis Panormo 1831 (private collection)
This is a SHORT PHOTO-reportage of the restoration
BEFORE/AFTER
FINISHED
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