1994 John Gilbert CD/IN

A 1994 classical guitar by John Gilbert, with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides, with his pin bridge and Gilbert tuners – signed by John and his son William, and from the Russell Cleveland collection.

In the videos above, Jacob Cordover plays Agustín Barrios' Vals Op. 8, No. 4, and Jack Sanders gives a lesson on left-hand technique – both on this guitar.

A Neutral Voice for the Player

Gilbert's aim was a guitar with a "neutral" response, allowing the artistry of the player to decide the color and dynamic possibilities of each performance – and this guitar is a classic example. Its pin bridge gives every string its own support, for clear separation between voices and individually adjustable action.

Gilbert Tuners and a Father-and-Son Label

It is fitted with Gilbert tuners, famous for their tough, industrial look and their durability. The label is signed by both John and William, who began working with his father around 1991 and later built guitars under his own name.

From the Russell Cleveland Collection

This guitar comes from the Russell Cleveland collection and is featured on pages 99–101 of the book The Classical Guitar – A Complete History.

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.