1987 Thomas Humphrey "Violin Guitar" CD/MP (ex Fisk, Teicholz)

Commissioned by Eliot Fisk and later owned by Marc Teicholz, this one-of-a-kind 1987 Thomas Humphrey "Violin Guitar" is a Millennium classical guitar in cedar and flamed maple with a violin scroll head and two f-holes – the guitar on which Marc won the GFA competition in 1989.

A Millennium in Violin Dress

At first glance, this would not appear to be an example of a "Millennium" model by Thomas Humphrey, and yet it is! Only with aesthetic features normally found on instruments of the violin family – including the violin scroll for the head shape and two f-holes instead of a round soundhole.

Eliot Fisk, Marc Teicholz and the 1989 GFA Competition

This "one-of-a-kind" instrument was originally commissioned by Eliot Fisk, its first owner. It was later owned by Marc Teicholz, and it was with this instrument that Marc won the GFA competition in 1989.

Millennium Construction and 22 Frets

Aesthetic considerations aside, the structural details of the revolutionary "Millennium" design are present in this instrument, including the elevated fingerboard and curved bridge design, and because this guitar lacks a soundhole, the fingerboard extends long enough to accommodate 22 frets – players of arrangements will appreciate the ability to reach a singing high D-natural on the top string.

Sound and Materials

This example from 1987 has the trademark quality of tone known to Humphrey lovers – a powerful, "hollow" and very focused sound that makes these instruments particularly well-suited to the concert stage. It has a cedar top and, as its violin appearance would suggest, beautiful flamed maple for the back and sides. Truly unique (even by Thomas Humphrey's standards), this is an eye-catching and great-sounding guitar with an interesting history and great provenance.

From the Russell Cleveland Collection

This guitar comes from the Russell Cleveland collection.

Thomas Humphrey (1948–2008): Classical Guitar Maker in New York

Thomas Humphrey was born in 1948 in Minnesota. Around 1970 he moved to New York City, where he apprenticed with the guitar maker Michael Gurian, and for many years he built his guitars in an apartment workshop on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Tom died in Gardiner, New York, in April 2008.

The Millennium: A Revolution in Classical Guitar Design

In the mid-1980s Tom introduced the design that made his name: the Millennium. With its raised fingerboard and newly conceived soundboard bracing, it changed the way many players – and makers – thought about the classical guitar, and the elevated fingerboard has since been taken up by luthiers all over the world. His earlier, traditional instruments are now known as "pre-Millennium" Humphreys. Humphrey guitars have been the concert instruments of many leading guitarists, among them David Starobin, Sharon Isbin, the Assad brothers and Eliot Fisk.