for sale

Spalt Instruments Carcavelos #9

CARCAVELOS #9

This is a very special member of the Carcavelos guitars family - born out of a collaboration with the artist and pyrography master craftsman Dino Muradian  (James Hetfield of Metallica is a fan).

There are not that many contemporary images of the 1755 earthquake that destroyed Lisboa, but the engraving Dino used for his pyrography art (creating a picture by scorching the wood) is a vivid depiction of the shaking, the tsunami and the ensuing firestorm, and the panic of the people trying desperately to find a safe spot amidst the mayhem unfolding around them.

This guitar has a hollow body in the 'Vienna style' with an inset Maple top. The Indian Rosewood neck is the last one I made for the Nouveau guitars series, originally intended as a backup. The back of the headstock displays the Carcavelos Mahogany seal on a gold leaf background. It is fitted with a BoneTop pickup and wraparound bridge, designed to leave as much space as possible for the pyrography art. The virgin Maple top travelled all the way to Hawaii, where Dino lives, and back to Portugal after he finished the design, to be finally married to the Carcavelos Mahogany body. The back of the guitar displays the original inner surface of the barrel, with the marks made by the workers chiseling away at the mineral deposits left by the wine. There were even a few number tags left on some of the original planks, so this one gets to display the appropriate #9.

Presentation is always important, all the more with a special instrument as this one. The horizontal orientation of the image suggested the necessity of designing a fitted custom stand for this guitar. This stand provides secure positioning in a variety of angles, allowing for an optimal display. The finely detailed pyrographic image thus can be enjoyed at close range. The guitar will also receive a custom fitted case to accommodate its specific shape and size.