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he
Passacaille model is noted for its elegant shape and the refined materials
used in its construction. Neil Hebert has played up the beauty of the maple's
light wood by contrasting it with ornamental ebony purfling. The soundboard
is made of spruce; the cast-bronze machine heads are by I. Sloane.
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Classical Guitar
By
Neil Hebert
Montreal, Quebec
1991
British Columbia spruce, Canadian curly maple, ebony, bronze, nylon
Overall length: 99.5 cm;
body: 49 x 36.8 cm;
sides: 9.5 cm
Label: "Neil Hebert Montreal no 166 1989."
The instrument is also signed "Neil Hebert."
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Over the
years, various features of the classical guitar have been standardized, although
a number of luthiers continue to improve the instrument's construction. Neil
Hebert's guitars display certain distinctive characteristics, such as the
bracing of the soundboard and the shape of the bridge, which the artisan
has designed to achieve a particular tone and enhance the overall construction.
Neil Hebert
Montreal luthier Neil Hebert has specialized in making classical guitars
for over fifteen years. An engineer by training, he blends the luthier's
art with the rigour of science. Using special software, he conducts
spectrographic analyses of his guitars in order to determine acoustic qualities.
His interest in instrument making stems basically from a love of music,
which led him to study the guitar for several years. But Hebert was also
prompted to make instruments by a natural attraction to manual work and
by a certain frustration at not finding an instrument he liked.
A self-taught luthier, he has worked professionally at instrument making since
1975. To date, he has made approximately 160 guitars for professional musicians
in Europe and North America. Neil Hebert has given workshops at the École
de Lutherie Artistique du Noroît, in Québec, with a focus on
guitar making, acoustics, and the use of computers in instrument making.
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Neil Hebert's label
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