HISTORICAL GUITARS

In the Vogtland region in the 19th century, high quality instruments were being built by outstanding and now almost forgotten guitar makers. Many of these masters had learned their craft in Vienna and worked there temporarily in prestigious workshops such as those of Johann Georg and Johann Anton Stauffer. So we often find excellent, mostly unsigned instruments in the Stauffer style, although actually made in Markneukirchen or Klingenthal.

Most guitars produced during that time in the Vogtland, were, however, sold to local wholesalers without the signature of the maker. As a result, information about such instruments and their builders is extremely rare, and even the knowledge of where these guitars originated is today almost entirely lost. Often, however, the most beautiful and highly decorated guitars were sold directly in foreign countries. In recent years more and more guitars have come to light which have turned out to be from the Vogtland region, and were exported in the 19th century to the USA, England, Russia or even to Spain, where today they class (depending on their style) as Viennese guitars, although often also referred to as Italian, Spanish or French products. I have 're-imported' some of these guitars myself, and some time ago the Museum of Musical Instruments in Markneukirchen bought a (signed!) Markneukirchen guitar in the USA.

I am constantly in search of historical instruments, not only for my own guitar collection, but also for information, data and pictures of instruments for my archive.
All information about instruments and their owners will be treated confidentially, publishing data and image material only with permission of the owner.

List of Guitars

• ca. 1820 presumably Saxony (handwritten labe 'J.P. Stauffer in Vienna 1821')
• ca. 1830 Legnani model, Vogtland
• ca. 1830 Viennese model, Vogtland
• ca. 1830 Viennese model, Vogtland
• ca. 1845 Viennese model, Vogtland
• ca. 1850 Guitar Klingenthal, attributed to C. F. Bauer
• ca. 1850 Viennese model, Vogtland"
• ca. 1850 Terz Guitar, Markneukirchen
• ca. 1850 C.F. Martin/Cadiz model, Markneukirchen
• ca. 1860 C.F. Martin/Cadiz model, Markneukirchen
• ca. 1870 Viennese model, Stauffer style, Markneukirchen
• ca. 1870 Viennese model, Markneukirchen
• ca. 1870 C.F. Martin/Cadiz model „Die Leuchtende“, M. Schuster jun. Markneukirchen
• ca. 1880 C.F. Martin/Cadiz model, Heinrich Gläsel Markneukirchen
• ca. 1880 French crest shape, Markneukirchen
• ca. 1890 Viennese model, Markneukirchen (2 lables „Ferdinando Devenuti Fabricante D´Instrumenti Armonici“ and „Mio primo rappresentante e depositario Arnaldo Alessandrini, Ancona“)
• ca. 1905 Viennese model, Markneukirchen