Guitar Adventures and Highs

In 2002 I had the good fortune to combine a guitar delivery to the USA with a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York where I spent an afternoon in the musical instrument workshop with the ’37 Hauser 1 which Segovia called the ‘guitar of our epoch’. Thanks to the Met’s conservator Stewart Pollens, and guitarist Andrew Schulman I was able to photograph and measure this remarkable instrument, an experience I will never forget.

Since then I’ve been lucky to come into close contact with many fine historical guitars including Torres’ La Leona (previously owned and performed on by Julian Arcas), Tarrega’s famous maple Torres FE17, guitars by Hauser 1, Santos Hernandez, Manuel Ramirez, Simplicio and others. I guess I feel drawn back again and again to these wonderful instruments which represent a perfection of the guitar makers’ craft in terms of physical refinement and beauty of tone.