2005 Michael Thames No. 634 "Lacote" SP/MP

This 2005 Michael Thames No. 634 “Lacote” is a spruce and flamed maple period guitar after the 19th-century French maker René Lacote, built in Taos, New Mexico.

A Lacote Model

It has an Italian spruce top, flamed maple back and sides and the “ladder” bracing typical of Lacote’s instruments. Smaller than the modern classical guitar, with a 630 mm scale and 49 mm nut, it is extremely lightweight. The label – “Taos, New Mexico USA, l’anno 2005” – is numbered 634.

Sound and Playability

The tone is charming, with a round sweetness in every register, and with its slender neck and light action, playability is a dream – a fascinating and beautiful instrument for 19th-century repertoire.

Michael Thames: Half a Century of Guitars in New Mexico

American luthier Michael Thames built guitars in New Mexico for more than half a century – first under the label “The Land of Enchantment”, then in Taos and, from the mid-2000s, in Santa Fe – and by 2018 he had made over 1000 instruments. His numbered labels carry his family crest and signature. He has recently retired and now lives in Thailand.

Historical Replicas and Experimental Designs

Thames built a great variety of instruments: traditional concert guitars and flamenco guitars, historical models after René Lacote and Antonio de Torres, and experimental designs of his own, such as guitars with a brass or carbon-fiber tornavoz. For him the most important quality in a great guitar was the attack and ease of response, and his guitars are known for a big, robust and lush sound.