Thurman Guitar & Violin Repair - 900 Franklin Ave. - Kent OH 44240
330-673-4054
Click on the image to see a Yamaha classical guitar brochure dating from the mid-1960s.
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LoPrinzi Classic Guitars (new and used)
-LoPrinzi Nova Futura #2695 classical guitar (new) w/case. Spruce top, E.I. rswd body and bridge, mah nk, eb fb, 650 mm. scale, 52 mm. nut width, Gotoh premium tuners, oil varnish finish. The Nova Futura is handmade in Clearwater Florida by Augustino LoPrinzi and his daughter Donna LoPrinzi. This highly original and innovative instrument embodies the Thurman Multi-dimensional Sound Port, an unprecedented patented musical invention which enhances ergonomic and acoustical aspects while preserving all the traditional elements of guitar design. All guitars are between 2 and 4% efficient which means that 96 to 98% of the player's energy is lost to the friction of the vibrating materials and the inability of the traditional design to move as much air as it should. The diagonal Thurman Multi-dimensional Sound Ports liberate surplus trapped energy and free the instrument to excite more air efficiently. The benefits are manifold: more clarity, volume and sustain; lush, rich sound; even balance, rapid break-in, faster attack, easier fingering by plucking and fretting hands, greater access to fretting the upper notes over the body. To put is plainly, the Nova Futura is the most player-friendly design ever created. This is an instrument whose every aspect is cnceived to work in service to the musician and the listener. (Sold) Photos: Front Rear Face Back Side view Label Rosette Sound Ports Head Tuners Sound Ports and Neck Sound Ports from Fingerboard view Sound Ports and sides Bridge and lower bouts
The Nova Futura is also described HERE.
Find out about Artists Who Play the LoPrinzi Nova Futura
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New Handmade Classic Guitars
-Bela Gemza classic guitars. Gemza made guitars in Lyndhurst, a Cleveland, Ohio suburb, from the '50s until his death from cancer in 1985. Short in stature with thick hands and thick glasses, his was a most kind, loveable personality. Displaced from Hungary by World War II he started in the U.S. with nothing and strived to make great, original guitars and lutes of the finest materials from a workshop in the basement of his modest home. Time has shown that he succeeded. I had several of guitars which he and his late wife Eleanor thought were better and kept back for sale in retirement. They date from the 1970s and have original rosettes, E.I., spruce, eb fb, lac, dovetail neck joint. They project beautifully with a complete tone which has gained authority like a fine aged red wine. Each guitar is braced somewhat differently because he always modified his work to fit his perception of the materials. All have striking maple binding and a trademark rosewood backing "cap" behind the head stock. The slim Gemza neck is reinforced with a maple strip. Miguel Alcazar, Joseph Breznikar, Jorge Morel and Carlos Montoya have owned and played his guitars. There is a great sincerity evident in his work which must be appreciated. Gemza made a very consistent, fine instrument (about 250 total) which is underrated, very special and a profound value
-Gemza classic guitar #175 (1973), 650 mm scale length. Cedar, E.I. rswd body, mak nk, eb fb, 52 mm. nut width, rswd br, lac finish, commercial rosette, mother-of-pearl Art Deco tuner buttons. Not strung and showing evidence of sloppy flat picking on either side of the fingerboard, this is the only Gemza guitar I have seen bearing a distinctive partial 20th fret. A couple of dryness cracks on the fingerboard will disappear when cosmetically repaired. I believe this instrument was sold but later exchanged because of the fingerboard problem. Apparently the cracks were once filled but then opened wider. Something tells me this guitar will really sing after refretting and cosmetic repair of the ebony fingerboard (I will post updated photos which this work is completed). Price when repaired: $2200 w/case. Photos: Face Back Rear Fingerboard Crack Label Tuners Head Back of Head
Click on image to read more about Bela Gemza:
-Gemza 8-course Renaissance Lute (mid-1970s), Hauser pattern, maple ribs and spruce soundboard with a carved rosette. Eb pegs, eb fb, regular frets, rswd purflings and body trim. This, his fourth lute of approximately seven, is a robust pattern made by the late Cleveland luthier, Bela Gemza. Bela strived not only for sound but originality and durability in his choices for materials and construction technique. The pegbox photo demonstrates one of his ideas: a string nut with roller guides for each string. This example is more unusual because the lute is set up for single plain strings on the first two courses but is easily reversible if the player prefers the standard configuration of two strings per course on all but the top string. Price with fitted hard case: $2395. Photos: Front Back Body Rosettte Butt Pegbox Neckjoin Bridge
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Used Classical and Flamenco Guitars
-Marcelino Lopez classical guitar (Madrid - 1962), in good condition with a new polymer hard case. 658 mm. scale, 51 mm. width at the nut. Braz rswd body and bridge, spruce soundboard, Spanish cedar nk, eb fb. This is a gem and, as so often is the case, there are a few flaws: there are couple of repaired cracks on the soundboard and back as well as some face dings which were not filled. The lacquer finishing is excellent but not original. The Fustero tuning keys are worn and probably due for replacement. Otherwise, despite its light weight, this guitar feels very solid and tight. The bass register is strong and full but does not feel flabby in the string. The trebles are bright and do not fade when pushed. The neck is perfectly straight while the action (measured at the 12 fret) is 3.5 mm. treble and 4.5 mm. bass. The guitar responds crisply and does not feel or sound "worn out." This is due to the well-executed six-fan bracing and the durable German spruce soundboard wood. If you are looking for traditional Spanish construction, handling and sound this is an excellent example of a modern (post WWII) guitar which embodies a significant measure of "old school" design. Price: $2895 (on consignment). Photos: Front Rear Face Back Label Rosette Head Bridge Repair1 Repair2
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Miscellaneous New Classic Guitars
-Artesano 25 (new) made in Valencia, Spain for Juan Orozco. Although the Artesano 25 has a lam cedar top, lam mah body, rswd fr and br, the guitar is made to the same reliable standards of the other Artesanos. Frills are kept to the bare minimum so the head design, and edge purflings are also simplified. Fully guaranteed with a warranty from the distributor. Price w/hard case: $550 Photos: Front Rear
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© Roger G. Thurman 1998-2008
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Thurman Guitar & Violin Repair, Inc.
900 Franklin Av.
Kent OH 44240
330-673-4054
