The repertoire for the 4-course guitar, although not as extensive as that for the lute and the vihuela, deserves attention and recognition for its outstanding musical quality.

The main problem a maker is confronted when attending to recreate an early 4-course XVI century guitar is the lack of surviving historical examples that can serve as a reliable reference. As explained in the section on the vihuela, the closest evidence is a Portuguese 5-course instrument made by Belchior Dias in 1581. This instrument is commonly referred to as the "Dias guitar" and is currently in the Royal College of Music Museum in London.

I have chosen this beautiful period instrument as the basis for my own models of both 4 and 5 course XVI century (Renaissance) guitars. As many satisfied customers will attest, this was the right choice as these models offer a wonderfully full and robust tone suitable for both solo and accompaniment work.