No stranger to the GAL, Jim Forderer and his wonderful collection of historical guitars have been a powerful presence at our last several conventions. Jim’s large family of children and his instrument collection keep him occupied, but he’s always on the lookout for the next great guitar or violin find.
▪ bio current as of 2008
2008
AL#94 p.18
Cyndy Burton Jim Forderer James Westbrook
▪ As presented in this interview, Jim Forderer and Jim Westbrook are both collectors of guitars of the 19th century, a time period which included the development of the classical guitar. But most of their examples are about the evolution of that instrument and not about the finished post-Torres species. They are unique individuals with strange and wonderful tastes in guitars. With 17 photos and a dendrochronological analysis of the top of a very early Martin guitar.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.