acoustic-soundboard

A Galloup guitar made from paulownia.

Our columnist investigates whether new wood materials like paulownia can steer lutherie through an environmentally uncertain future.

The tonewoods we choose for Galloup Guitars represent some of the finest available, selected for their exceptional sound quality, stability, and long-term reliability. These materials are integral to crafting instruments that offer outstanding performance and make for wise investments for our customers. To ensure the highest quality, I personally travel to Europe to handpick premium-grade soundboards from regions known for producing world-class tonewoods. These soundboards are reserved for high-end, concert-level instruments and are often unavailable in the broader market.

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These before (left) and after (right) shots demonstrate only a fraction of the restoration process our columnist carried out.

Photos courtesy of Delgado Guitars

This centuries-old instrument, which belonged to the daughter-in-law of President Andrew Jackson, has witnessed almost 200 years of American history.

We tend to think of ā€œhistoryā€ as something we read about or learn from our elders, rather than something we live and contribute to. Iā€™ve often wondered if my great-uncle knew he was making history when, as a Mexican immigrant, he built the original Mickey Mouse guitar for Walt Disney in the early 1950s.

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In this promotional photo of the Waikiki Trio, the standing guitarist is playing a Martin 0-42, and the seated guitarist is playing a Martin 0-18K.

Photo courtesy of the C.F. Martin & Co., Inc. Archive

Pacific Island pluckers had a hand in developing the beloved dreadnought acoustics, and changed the course of American guitar music.

In 1906, a devastating earthquake and three days of raging fires leveled 80 percent of San Francisco. Nine years later, to honor the opening of the Panama Canal and signal that San Francisco was back, the city held the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.

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