I specialize in building nylon string classical guitars. My father, John Gilbert, built 6-string instruments and added 8-string guitars to his repertoire. I have followed suit, and also build 6 and 8-string guitars.
I have also added to the lineup two other types, a 7-string instrument and a 6-string cutaway. Both of these instruments feature extended fretboards. The 7-string extended fretboard is extended two ways, an extension for the 7th string behind the nut (for extra bass range), and an extended area for the 1st and 2nd strings above the 19th fret to extend the range upward (see the photos here on the site). The 6-string cutaway also features an extension of the fingerboard to allow for up to a 24th fret (double octave) for the 1st string with the 22nd fret for the 2nd string. (I am working on setting up pictures of the cutaway instrument.)
All of these instruments are available in two string lengths, 654 mm (the Gilbert standard) and 649 mm.
My instruments are "Gilberts" meaning they have good volume and good clarity with a quick response. I strive for evenness of tone so that there are not unduly loud or honking notes (wolf tones) as you move up the fretboard from note to note. A well known player once described wolf tones as something like the guitar changing its voice from an "oh" sound to an "ah" sound.
Evenness with clarity means that what you play is what you get. Sometimes an instrument has a particular timbre to it that can impede expression. In other words the guitar sounds a certain way no matter what you do. We really want the instrument to have available a full palette of tone color for the artist to work with. So we have striven for what has been termed a neutral sound. At the same time this "neutrality" can be carried to the point that the guitar might have a bloodless sound. We have also striven to keep away from this pitfall (in other words it still needs to sound like a guitar, not a banjo).
I spend this time describing the sound because the player needs to know something of what to expect. I am not going to say that I can build a guitar that will sound like “X”. I don’t have “models” that point to another builder’s guitar, (except for Gilbert ). I have said elsewhere on the site that every builder ought to be the best at his or her own design.
The characteristics described above are, in my view, essentially the same no matter what top wood is chosen. We began building in cedar about 20 years ago. We did an experiment and found that the owners of several Gilberts could not pick their own instruments out when blind tested off a stage, nor could they tell the difference between the cedar and spruce instruments. Nevertheless, I would say that there is a tiny difference between cedar and spruce, but it is more of subtle shading than an evident shift. I think that the cedar guitars have a touch more warmth, and the spruce instruments are perhaps slightly clearer.
I will use the kind of topwood that the customer requests, if I have wood of that kind that I feel will make a fine instrument. If a player desires European Spruce, they can get it at additional cost. I look upon providing different kinds of topwood as meeting a need. To me, the wood choice has a great function in making a person comfortable with their instrument. For example, if a player wanted a cedar guitar and had to buy a spruce one instead, then there would always be that nagging question “what if this was cedar?” Playing an instrument well is task enough without those kinds of uncertainties.
I use Indian Rosewood for the back and sides on the majority of the instruments. It is stable and gives good results. I have available some Madagascan Rosewood, for an additional cost, but it is fairly plain looking. As to sound, I couldn’t say there is a difference.
My instruments are “conventional” in construction. I use fan bracing and two transverse braces near the soundhole. I use two “chevron” braces down at the lower portion of the lower bout. All of these characteristics are known and even published by some.
As one might imagine I use the tuning machines that my father designed and developed. My brother-in-law makes them and I trust his craftsmanship fully. If a customer absolutely must have another make of tuner, I will use them as long as the roller spacing is the same as Gilbert tuners, but the customer will have to supply me with the tuners at their own expense. I recommend D’Addario strings, but I know that many have had fine results with other brands, or even combinations of brands. If a customer wants their instrument strung with a particular brand or combination of strings, I will of course accommodate them within reason.
I hope this article answers some of the questions people might have about my instruments and what is available. Please feel free to e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with any questions or clarifications you might have and I will do my best to answer them.