Thomas Humphrey
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USA - New-York
1990
65 cm
Cedar
Brazilian rosewood (Cites document)
Spanish cedar - width : 53 mm
Ebony
Body length : 485 mm - Body width : 290/250/375 mm - Body depth : 79/112 mm
1 584 g
3/4 mm
No crack, no repair, play marks on the top.
on request
Thomas Humphrey was born on November 13, 1948 in Minnesota. He started building guitars when he arrived in New York in 1970. After a year of apprenticeship with luthier Michael Gurian, he opened his workshop. In the early 1980s, he experimented with several new types of construction to increase the power and sustain of his instruments. The idea of the "Millenium" model came to him in 1985. This innovative model was a rapid success and was played by many renowned concert performers including Sharon Isbin, the Assad brothers, Eliot Fisk and many others. The revolutionary design consisted of rethinking the bracing and the position of the top in relation to the neck to improve sound transmission and playability. One of his most visible innovations was the elevated fingerboard, which was later adopted by several other luthiers.
The instrument we present here was built in 1991, it is a perfect example of this "Millennium" model: a powerful and homogeneous guitar, the notes are soft and flexible. An instrument whose sound qualities and performance are still relevant today while having an important historical value.