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.

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."

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.

Neil Hebert's label