Paul Fischer (born
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
1941), a British maker of musical instruments, began making harpsichords and clavichords in 1956 in Oxford under the tutelage of Robert Goble, with further study at the Oxford College of Art and Technology.
After military service (
11th Hussars
The 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army established in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 10th Royal Hussars (Pri ...
) he joined the lute and guitar maker
David Rubio
David Rubio (born David Joseph Spinks; 17 September 1934 – 21 October 2000) was an English maker of stringed musical instruments.
Biography
David Rubio was born on 17 September 1934 in London, England. He acquired his new surname in his t ...
at
Duns Tew
Duns Tew is an English village and civil parish about south of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 478. With nearby Great Tew and Little Tew, Duns Tew is one of the three villages known collectively as ...
,
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
. With the benefit of Fischer's experience, Rubio began making harpsichords, soon to be followed by
theorbo
The theorbo is a plucked string instrument of the lute family, with an extended neck and a second pegbox. Like a lute, a theorbo has a curved-back sound box (a hollow box) with a wooden top, typically with a sound hole, and a neck extending ou ...
s, viheulas, pandoras,
cittern
The cittern or cithren ( Fr. ''cistre'', It. ''cetra'', Ger. ''Cister,'' Sp. ''cistro, cedra, cítola'') is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is d ...
s and baroque guitars. Bowed instruments were to follow. As the workforce expanded to meet increasing demand, Fischer was appointed manager and oversaw the making of this wide range of instruments until establishing his own studio in 1975.
Fischer set up shop in
Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Banbury and north-west of Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the civil parish population as ...
. The award of a
Winston Churchill Fellowship
Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts (WCMT) are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill, based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. They exist for the purpose of administering Churchill Fellowships, a ...
and Southern Arts bursary at this time, provided the opportunity to take up the challenge. From this and the work of physicist Dr. Bernard Richardson the 'Taut' system of construction was developed.
See also
*
Classical guitar making
A person who is specialized in the making of stringed instruments such as guitars, lutes and violins is called a luthier.
Skills
In general one can distinguish three main aspects of guitar making:
#"Sound" feature that includes shaping the ...
References
Acoustic Guitar Central: Classical Guitar Design and Construction
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Paul
British luthiers
Guitar makers
English musical instrument makers
1941 births
Living people