SCRAPBOOK
Interesting Members of the Family of Fretted Instruments
visitors and residents of the studios of Becker & Cumpiano
Puerto Rican Tres
This beautiful instrument is a Puerto Rican version of the Cuban Tres.
The tres plays the montuno in Cuban music. The montuno is a repeated rhythmic vamp essential to Cuban/salsa music commonly supplied by the piano.
A Puerto Rican Tres has a different template (outline) than the Cuban Tres. The Cuban Tres looks much like a small dreadnaught (see below) while the Puerto Rican Tres has scaloped sides similar to the Puerto Rican Cuatro (see below). The Puerto Rican cuatro has five pairs of strings. The Puerto Rican tres has three groups of three strings each using nine of its ten tuners.
It’s interesting to note the scaloped template and ten string tuners of the Puerto Rican cuatro were retained in the process of creating a Puerto Rican version of the Cuban instrument.
Finally there is this curious instrument. The photos were sent to me asking me if I knew what it was. I suppose one might say it’s proof of extra terrestrial intelligence. Another might say its the result of one’s voyage into inner space.
...I’m still speechless.
GUITAR lute
In the early 1900s the interest in early music prompted guitar makers to make lutes. They applied elements of classical guitar construction to lute making. These instruments had fixed metal frets, wood binding, bridge pins and tuning machines. This one may have been made in Germany.
This Sitar made in Calcutta was an exciting guest displaying great craftsmanship, intricate carvings and inlay.
This distinguished guest was recently restored and introduced to its new caretaker. A lost and unappreciated 1956 Stella Sundale now wails with joy beneath the hands of a great bottleneck blues player, Jim Dorunda who recognized its “good Blues Mojo”.
This beautifully crafted left handed D’Aquisto needed some finish repair.
This Baby Bass from Columbia was in for a neck adjustment.
This Les Paul Recording model needed some TLC and a pick guard. An extremely rare vintage Recording model pickguard that still had it’s protective covering just happened to be available on ebay.
