Official Luthiers Forum!

I am reading a book on Torrez written by the classical luthier, Jose Romanillos. In it, there are a couple of references to nuts and saddles made of silver rather than the usual bone, ivory, plastic etc.

Has anyone had experience with this? I ask because I have the stuff to do it. Does it impart a metallic tone? If so, it might be interesting on a classical.

Regards, Steve Brown

Steve,

I'm very familiar with the Torres book (I don't quite understand why you type Torrez instead of Torres, that would make it hard to search the forum, no?). The particular instance that comes to mind where he used a nut of silver is on FE08 which was coincidentally his most elaborate instrument, for which he won a bronze medal (first prize). My best guess is that this was done for aesthetic purposes, not to create a specific type of sound. That guitar also had a tornavoz - the sound does not come across as metallic. I don't think such things affect the sound in that way, not in any discernable manner compared to the choice of strings...

For a particularly elaborate instrument I wouldn't hesitate to use a silver nut and saddle. But I do not think there is any benefit to the sound, just exclusivity.

Hope this is of some help.

Best wishes,
Joshua

_________________
Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

The only instruments that I know of that Torres used silver Saddles, frets and tuners were (first epoch) FE08 and FE17. I do not believe that he used a nut of silver in any other instrument other than FE08 but I may be wrong.

Both of these instruments are exceptions and not the normal materials with which Torres normally built.

FE08 was one of the fanciest guitars he ever built and it was built for the Sevilla Exhibition of 1858 where he received the bronze medal for 3rd place. Exhibition instruments were typically the way that luthiers showed off their talents and took orders (which we still do) which is why FE08 is so much more elaborate than his other instruments.

FE17 is a more interesting story in that it was Torres personal instrument and it was this instrument that Torres sold to Tarrega in 1869 which was also the end of his first epoch of building.

More so than the silver saddle, nut, frets and tuners, the characteristic sound of these two guitars came from Torres use of a tornavoz (which was a conical metal tube that extended from the top to the back bracing). While tornavoz softened the voice of the instrument, it also refined the tone. Other spanish builders built with tornavoz but none were as successful as Torres.

Typically Torres used "t-style" frets in his better guitars or for less expensive guitars he would take brass round stock and beat it in a vise until it was in the rough shape of a t-style fret. Most frets at that time were brass.

Before luthiers built with the style classical bridge we are used to some built bridges that had an integral "wire" saddle that was brass or silver. This was very typical of German and Austrian luthiers in the 19th century but other examples can be found by spanish and italian builders.

While the metal saddle does tend to add some metallic tone, the bigger reason why luthiers moved to the style bridge we are used today is that integral "wire" bridges dampened tone quite a bit as well as offered little to any adjustment room for action. Usually these bridges were adjusted by removing the wire saddle, planing down the bridge and reinserting the wire saddle. The only way to increase the action was to replace the bridge. The planed down bridges often are so worn by the time that the instrument ends up as a wall hanger in an antique shop, they are unusable.

Um... because I can't spell?

Steve