The ornate 1796 Giovanni Battista Fabricatore guitar in the Austin-Marie Collection is representative of Giovanni’s more expensive models. It closely resembles the 1795 Fabricatore displayed in the Museo degli Strumenti Musicali in Milan.
Specifications
Date
1796
Location
Naples, Italy
Length of Guitar
905mm
String Length
643mm
Upper Bout Width
215mm
Waist Width
164mm
Lower Bout Width
273mm
Side Depth at Waist
75mm
Soundboard: Spruce | Back: Maple | Sides: Maple | Details: Neck and heel inlaid with parallel bone strips.
Performance Video
It is adorned with hand-cut mother of pearl weaving vines that border the entire soundboard before running up the sides of the neck and encircling the headstock. Similar to the 1785 and 1795 Fabricatore guitars in the Austin-Marie Collection, the body is quite shallow with the neck and heel inlaid with parallel bone strips running up to the head.
Absent on the 1796 guitar are the ebony bridge mustachios found on the other two G. B. Fabs in this collection; perhaps mustachios would have interfered with the aesthetic created by the elaborate mother of pearl inlays.