Rob's music and CDs are well worth buying. His new project will again be on Scottish guittar - the instrument dating from around 1765, which he owns. It is strung with two single bass strings, and four paired courses, in a nominal CEGCEG which is actually AC#EAC#E in modern tuning (or more or less so). It resembles a cittern but it is a guittar, as known at the time.
Visit Rob's website for more information.
He came to our studio for some photographs - below is Rob playing the instrument, plus front and back views, and a close-up of the interesting machine head which uses a clock key for tuning the strings. It is an old an well-used instrument but still quite playable, with a finely curved ebony fingerboard and a perfectly matched capo which bolts through holes in the neck. The string spacing widens considerably towards the bridge, making fingerstyle playing (as intended for this instrument) much easier. It appears to be made from sycamore with a fir top.
