Jon Roncolato and Zach Ziemer are applying art-world authentication methods to vintage guitars—using spectrometers, analytical chemistry, and comparative data to verify everything from finishes to fret wire.
With his new album, the Americana hero faces the microphone alone—save for a 1940 Martin 0-17—and emerges with an album full of nuanced emotional touchstones framed by the gentle side of his virtuosic musicianship.
A 6-string found in the workshop of the late luthier Yukichi Iwase may be the only one of these small, nearly full-scale guitars. Our columnist tells the story.
