The ornate guitar by Giovanni Battista Fabricatore of Naples (c. 1750–1812) is an example of one of Fabricatore’s more expensive models. It closely resembles the 1795 Fabricatore guitar displayed in the Museo degli Strumenti Musicali in Milan.
Absent are the ebony bridge mustaches found on the other two G. B. Fabricatores in this collection from 1785 and 1795. Perhaps mustaches would have interfered with the aesthetic created by the elaborate mother-of-pearl inlays.
| Specifications | |
| Date | 1796 |
| Location | Naples, Italy |
| Length of Guitar | 905 mm |
| String Length | 643 mm |
| Upper Bout Width | 215 mm |
| Waist Width | 164 mm |
| Lower Bout Width | 273 mm |
| Side Depth at Waist | 75 mm |
| Soundboard: Spruce | Back: Maple | Sides: Maple | Details: Neck and heel inlaid with parallel bone strips | |
Beyond the ornamentation and materials, the 1796 G. B. Fabricatore approximates the dimensions of the other two G. B. Fabs with the exception of the depth of the body at the waist: the 1796 measures 75 mm compared to 52 mm and 59mm for the 1785 and 1795, respectively.
The soundboard is made of spruce and the back and sides of maple. The decorative weaving vines bordering the soundboard, continuing up the neck and encircling the headstock are crafted with close to a thousand pieces of hand-cut mother-of-pearl. The neck and headstock are veneered with tortoiseshell. Similar to the 1785 and 1795 G. B. Fabricatores in this collection, the body remains relatively shallow compared to other guitars from this period. The neck and heel are inlaid with parallel bone strips running up to the head.
