1978 John Gilbert SP/CSAR

A 1978 classical guitar by John Gilbert, with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides, made in California – an early Gilbert, No. 23, labeled "Small neck model".

In the video above, Saro Babikian plays "Canción – Triste Argentino" from Leo Brouwer's "Tres Piezas Latinoamericanas" on this guitar.

Gilbert No. 23, the "Small Neck Model"

This is a relatively early guitar, No. 23, which Gilbert curiously calls his "Small neck model" on the label, even though the nut width is standard and the scale (654 mm) is a little longer than today's 650 mm. Perhaps it refers to the long-scale guitars that dominated the period – Rodríguez, Ramírez, Oribe – whose standard necks had a 54 mm nut and a 664 mm scale.

The Classic Gilbert Sound

It has the typical Gilbert tone, fulfilling his aim of a "neutral" response that lets the player's artistry decide the color and dynamics of each performance. Gilbert's guitars rarely come to market – a great example from a legendary American maker.

John Gilbert: An Engineer's Approach to the Classical Guitar

John Gilbert (1922–2012) was one of the most successful and popular of the "innovative" American guitar makers of the late 20th century. A machinist for Hewlett-Packard before he turned to guitars, he built his first instrument in 1965, self-taught, and brought an engineer's precision to the craft – including an exacting system that took into account the dimensions, weight and stiffness of his materials.

The Gilbert Pin Bridge and the Players Who Chose It

His best-known innovation is the "pin bridge": instead of one bone saddle shared by all six strings, each string rests on its own metal pin, for greater separation between voices and individually adjustable action. His guitars also carry his own rugged Gilbert tuners. They were played by a whole generation of guitarists, including David Russell, Raphaella Smits, David Tanenbaum, Marc Teicholz, David Leisner and Fred Hand. From around 1990 his son, William Gilbert, worked with him, and later labels are signed by both. John Gilbert died on February 23, 2012, at his home in Woodside, California.