My article on the famous maker was offline for several years, as it had become a convoluted mess. Indeed, even now, experts in the field have often vastly different opinions on certain specimens and information. With this brand new, re-vamped and painstakingly edited version, I believe we are closer to the truth on most of this than ever before. The family and lutherie history are now much better known, thanks to the recent indispensable book (at left) by the Marlats, finally completed after Bruno’s death by Catherine in 2022. Her colleague Erik Hofmann has patiently answered my questions, pointed out many discrepancies and errors in my own work, and encouraged me to re-publish all this, as it remains the only repository of all the known specimens of Lacote’s heptocordes and decacordes (his “harp guitars”) anywhere. I haven’t duplicated much from the book, and there is much there that will help the serious or casual researcher weight the clues on the instruments. Dates? Plantillas? Cryptic inscriptions by Petetin? Repairs? Modifications? Fakes? Between the book and my Harpguitars.net article (which I can, and will, update whenever needed), Lacote “multi-string guitar” fans and owners, museums and the public now have much to keep themselves busy!
The Incredible Instruments of Lacote
