E.J.Berg 1897

[Andras Novak]

This wonderful guitar came to my workshop for repair and setup. Do any of you know something about this builder? It is definitely professionally built, but i cannot find anything about it on the net. Unusually for the time it was made, it has a trussrod, but also a very small bridgeplate. Thin steelstrings, or gut? The saddle is straight, with no more compensatiuon for the E6 than the e1. 

Andras Novak Instrumentmakare 

Stockholm Sweden

[Kerry Krishna]

 The name on the label looks like E.F. Berg . What an amazingly beautiful acoustic guitar. I can't see how it would be possible that it could be for steel strings though. Is it possible that a truss rod was installed during the 30s/ 40s?

Andras, I just google searched him under both sets of initials, and nothing comes up, He is also not in the Registry of American Luthiers... BUT if you Google 'Berg Minneapolis', there are dozens of listings, so it is quite likely that you could get hold of some Berg there and ask some questions about Great Grandparents... 

[Andras Novak]

It really doesn't look to be fitted with trussrod later on, but one can never know. The neck seems to be reset, the fretboard has quite some angle over the top, and neck angle is perfect. But the fretboard does not look like to have been removed.

Yes, I agree, it's most likely to be made for gut strings. The bridgeplate is very small. It's only the trussrod that is confusing me. I will probably fit those low tension Thomastik strings, I've put them on some old guitars before. 

This guitar is really amazing, no cracks in the Brazilian at all!  :-)

[George Roberts]

Beautiful guitar Andras.  Thanks for the opportunity to see it.  Any possibility of some views of the back and side?  It looks as though the tuners are newer, but could we get a better view of the peghead slots?

Whoops, when I shifted the screen I could see that the slots are rounded at the top.  That would also suggest that the sides of the slot are straight.

Thanks, George

[Eric Steven Johansen]

Andras, I assume the truss rod is adjusted through the soundhole, and as such it must be a later addition. The neck being reset would suggest that the work could have been done then. As to the maker, my guess is a small shop luthier, probably repair oriented, who received a commission to build a custom guitar. What strikes me is the fret board inlays, which look to be an assortment of many of the popular inlays of the time. Any way you slice it I see one very nice guitar that deserves care and respect in its old age. I've used the Thomastic Plectrum strings with success, but a client who did extensive research found a low tension alternative in New Tone Strings, the Master Class .010-.046 newtonestrings.com. They sound better and last a whole lot longer than the Thomastics. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful instrument with all of us.

One last thing, I would get the best compensation you can with the straight saddle and let it be. That bridge is too beautiful to mess with.

[Frank Ford]

Nice looking old timer! At 1897, it predates the invention of the first truss rod by a couple of decades.  As I look at it, my impression is that some of the fingerboard inlay is inconsistent in style, so I wouldn't be surprised if the major position markers are original, with stock catalog inlay pieces stuck in the other positions.'

Maybe we'll hear from Charlie Hoffman with more about Berg, the Minneapolis luthier. . .

[Andras Novak]

It seems unlikely, but could be the only explanation. I will try to get a picture of the bolt on the inside.
Frank, the inlays must have beem made by the same hand, they all have deatails of the very danr style, and they are made of the samw kind of pearl. And thanks, I will try to get in kontakt with Charlie Hoffman.

I am a professional luthier myself, have repaired thousands of instruments in almost 30 years, but this is one of the most amazing instrument I have ever seen. Will get back with more pictures in the afternoon. :-)

[Andras Novak]

I wrote this on my phone, sorry for the mistakes :-)

[Andras Novak]

Here are a few more pics, one of the bolt inside, the bracing and the back.

Andras

[Joshua Levin-Epstein]

That is a beauty. Here's my 2 cents:

 

1) is that really a truss rod or is a mechanical method of fastening the neck? The bolt does not look easily adjustable so maybe it is a bolt on neck. Perhaps even a combination.

2) Though it is academic, my uninformed opinion is Berg made this for himself (or herself) as an example of his/her skills. The overloading of inlay was typical of exhibition pieces back then.

 

Joshua

[Andras Novak]

Haha, allright. 

Yes that bolt is actually a nut on a rod. Difficult to take a better picture, but the nut has the two holes for a matching wrench (probably), to tighten it. The fretboard looks really intact, has in my opinion never been taken off so it would be difficult to place a trussrod in the neck otherwise. possibly thorough the inlay on the backside of the neck? That inlay has a small crack in it where it goes over to the heel.

However its an instrument built with great skills, so i doubt this was the onlyone he made.

[Kerry Krishna]

Frank, is Mr Hoffman on this Forum? M

aybe someone could Private Message him to pop over here and have a look at this thread? 

[Andras Novak]

Already done :-)