Gurian Guitars- Identification & Registry

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<aside> 💡 Gurian guitars are considered to be some of the better-handcrafted instruments from the 70s and 80s. In direct competition with other high-end brands, Michael Gurian combined high-quality workmanship with tooling and technical nous to create some of the finest guitars of his era and helped to pioneer the small factory guitar.

Our guide and database is really the work of several individuals (in particular Art Edelstein and Bob Thomas) who have kindly given us permission to amalgamate the results of their toil into as comprehensive a guide/database/registry as possible. We have of course added information from our own experience and research to further improve the existing knowledge on hand.

If you have a Gurian you would like to add to the database, please fill out this form here: or, you can email me at: [email protected]-This guide/database/registry is by no means complete & we would appeal for your help if you should own a Gurian or have information to share! -We have not yet assigned dates to individual guitars as not enough data is available to do so accurately. This is compounded by the fact that dates are fluid in that the year the guitar was sold may not be the year of manufacture.

Gurians Wanted -I am personally interested in all models made from Brazilian Rosewood, Koa, Maple or with a cutaway. Please email me if you have one of those for sale.

Appraisals -If you would like an appraisal, I'd be happy to help. -I have historical data going back to 2000 and can provide a professional appraisal service for insurance etc. -This is priced at USD$30. I ask for .Front and back photos of the instrument (required). Additional photos can be uploaded in order to include detailed photos if necessary. Please limit file size to 25MB. .Serial and model number .Description of modifications, repairs and other issues not apparent from photos .Email address .Paypal payment is accepted.

We have a facebook group too! Come and join us: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gurianguitars

Contents

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Updates 4/11/23- site moved to notion, access to database is pending 1/10/23- Original site is down 1/4/21- Revamped website 24/9/19- More guitars added. Database tidied up. 28/8/19- More guitars added. More details added to existing listings. 10/7/18- More guitars added. 26/5/18- More information added to repair section 1/10/2017- More guitars added. Punctuation corrected. Clarified some labelling 1/9/2017- Additional first hand information on "Grand Street" workshop 25/12/2016- Further information added to preamble. 23/12/2016- More guitars added. 31/7/2016- Page further updated. Information now more compact, registry updated. 1/3/2016 - Registry updated 30/8/2015 - Page redesigned to be compact & friendly, different eras available as separate page. Preamble added 31/8/2015 - Facebook group "Gurian Guitars Registry" started for easier contact the link is: http://www.facebook.com/groups/1655943958026148/1/9/2015 - Our good friend Bob Thomas has been tracking Gurians too and we're merging our datasets which will:1. significantly increase the number of described guitars here 2. result in recalculation of known production totals

Preamble

Michael Gurian and Gurian Guitars: a brief timeline....

• 1965: Starts building lutes and classical guitars. He learns from luthiers Gene Clark, David Rubio, and Manuel Velazquez and becames a talented lutenist, lute maker, and builder of the Armenian oud.
• 1968: Featured in New York Magazine listings as running a guitar making course.
• Early 1960's: Early shops on Carmine Street in New York City, where he builts classic guitars and lutes for many of the top recitalists of the era. "In my shop on Carmine Street in New York I built 175 classical guitars just like that, and 75 lutes as well. Did very well by it, without any of the fancy machines and equipment. I got to a point where I never made mistakes on the instruments, and I truly believed I could build the instruments blind. It became automatic, and then so boring that I just didn't want to do it anymore. The conceptualization and the sound were all that still interested me at that point." American Lutherie 1995
• 1965-1969: Greenwich Village, NY Shop
• 1969-1971: 37A Bedford Street, New York City Shop... although commonly referred to as Bedford Street, the machinery was at Bedford St the guitars were built at 66 Carmine St. Steven Warshaw notes that the shop at 66 was very small.**.
• 1972-1973: Grand Street, New York City Workshop
• 1973:1979: Hinsdale, New Hampshire Factory
• 1979 3 Feb : Fire due to boiler explosion destroys factory, equipment and many guitars.
• 1980-1981: West Swanzey, New Hampshire Factory opens 1 month later (!).
• 1982-date: Gurian Instruments established as supplier of tools, parts and marquetry to luthiers. Some guitars completed as late as 1986.

Interesting tidbits on the Greenwich Village and Bedford Street Shops: