c. 1831 Anton Stauffer

Vienna, Austria

Johann Georg Stauffer had three sons: Franz, Johann Anton, and Alois. His second son, Johann Anton (1805–1871), pursued a career as a pianist in his youth, but began working for his father building guitars in 1826. He took over the family business in 1833, although Georg continued to make guitars well into the 1840s.

Specifications
Date	c. 1831
Location	Vienna, Austria
Length of Guitar	927mm
String Length	606mm
Upper Bout Width	235mm
Waist Width	168mm
Lower Bout Width	297mm
Side Depth at Waist	72mm
Soundboard: Spruce \| Back: Maple \| Sides: Maple \| Details: Fitted with a scroll-shaped headstock with encased inline tuners; adjustable neck.

Johann Anton built instruments to his father’s design and like his father’s guitars, his were much sought after and highly prized. The c. 1831 Anton Stauffer in the Austin-Marie Collection has the same attributes and overall design as the c. 1828 Johann Stauffer in this collection: a Luigi Legnani-inspired rounded plantilla with an adjustable narrow neck. Here too, we see his father’s signature scroll-shaped headstock with inline tuners encased by an engraved metal plate at the back of the head. The maple back and sides are fitted with a spruce top. The bridge has downward-pointing mustachios – a typical Viennese design. The label identifies the guitar as a “Legnani” model, after the Italian guitar virtuoso Luigi Legnani.