Exploring Three Centuries of Guitar

In the fall of 2023, an event showcasing the Austin-Marie Collection of historical guitars was held at the Marin Art & Garden Center in Ross, California. Guitar curator Jeff Wells spoke about the collection and was joined by guitarists Jon Mendle, Christopher Mallett, Carolyn Smith, and Richard Savino. The artists performed period music on selected instruments from the collection including seventeenth century guitars by Sellas and Voboam, the earliest extant guitar with six individual strings by Fabricatore, nineteenth century instruments by Lacote, Laprevotte, and Josset, and an 1834 C.F. Martin from Martin’s first year of guitar making in America.