RESTORING CLASSICS

LUIGI EMBERGHER MANDOLIN

3rd August 2007

Our workshop always has a number of interesting projects on the go. In this article, we look at a 1913 'Tipo A' Luigi Embergher mandolin recently restored for one of our American customers.

Italian maker Luigi Antonio Embergher (1856 - 1943) belongs to the Roman school of mandolin makers who while adopting the popular Neapolitan form, never forgot the beautiful gut strung mandolins made by their predecessors and often referred to this older form in their instruments.

“Like violins, Embergher mandolins tend to be made mainly of maple rather than rosewood, which is favoured by makers from Naples. They also feature an even number of book-matched ribs, another characteristic that was inspired by violin making,” explains Jon Springall, Strings' head of workshop and expert in mandolin restoration.

Book-matching is the effect whereby the multiple flamed maple ribs form a continuous pattern that flows across the bowled back.

“Roman mandolins also have an arched fingerboard like a violin. Other differences can be seen in the bridge and the shape of the neck,” he adds.

When Strings' workshop received the Embergher (pictured here, fully restored), the front was sinking and the bars had separated from the front. Remarkably, Jon managed to repair this damage without opening the instrument up by humidifying it a great deal and then very, very slowly bringing the bars back up in order to bring the soundboard back into shape.

The fretboard required some attention, as is typical on any fretted instrument of this age. Rather than modern fretwire, older instruments were equipped with bar frets. These frets are more difficult to fit, but have advantages over modern fret wire. Ebony veneer, the same thickness as the fret, can be cut to thickness and inserted into the fret slot below the bar fret, to raise it. This process is known as “shimming”, and allows the original fretboard and frets to be used even after many years of wear and dressings. A wedge was also required under the final section of the fingerboard, in order to correct the mandolin’s elevation.

Finally, a new concert style bridge was made for the instrument. This was carefully fitted, and precisely adjusted to compensate for the string gauges used – giving exact intonation, in the Roman style.

“It was a pleasure to work on such a beautifully made instrument,” said Jon.

Back