On the Bench: Miguel Rodriguez Style Guitar, Western Red Cedar and Indian Rosewood
As one of the supremely expressive musical voices of humanity, the classic guitar continues to fascinate and persuade.
Graham Wade, A Concise History of the Classic Guitar, 2001
Today, I will finish the back bindings on this guitar.
It has a hand split, near master grade Western red cedar top with "wild grown" East Indian rosewood back and sides.
The handcrafted rosette is a close copy of a rosette used by Francisco Simplicio, Ignacio Fleta and several master guitar makers in Barcelona, Spain.
In his article on Rodriguez flamenco guitars, Ron Fernandez states that he remembers that the guitars he saw in the Rodriquez shop in the 1960's were braced with five "fan" braces, two diagonal "cut off" braces, two main transverse braces and diagonal sound hole reinforcements that are inlet into the heel block. There was no bridge patch. To read the full article click here.
This statement intrigued me, because the famous Rodriguez guitars of the 1970's and 1980's tended to have one diagonal transverse bar and a bridge patch. Click here to see a plan of a Miguel Rodriguez, Jr. guitar.
This is the second guitar that I have made using the 1960's style of Rodriguez bracing, the other guitar made with the bracing is currently being French polished. Both guitars, when you tap the tops, sound like loud drums.
This guitar is one of several that I am making to take to the Guitar Foundation of America International Convention and Competition in Denver, Colorado, June 2-0-25, 2016. I am one of the vendors.
I have a ton of work to do!
Remember: Hand tools rule the school!
Graham Wade, A Concise History of the Classic Guitar, 2001
Today, I will finish the back bindings on this guitar.
It has a hand split, near master grade Western red cedar top with "wild grown" East Indian rosewood back and sides.
The handcrafted rosette is a close copy of a rosette used by Francisco Simplicio, Ignacio Fleta and several master guitar makers in Barcelona, Spain.
In his article on Rodriguez flamenco guitars, Ron Fernandez states that he remembers that the guitars he saw in the Rodriquez shop in the 1960's were braced with five "fan" braces, two diagonal "cut off" braces, two main transverse braces and diagonal sound hole reinforcements that are inlet into the heel block. There was no bridge patch. To read the full article click here.
This statement intrigued me, because the famous Rodriguez guitars of the 1970's and 1980's tended to have one diagonal transverse bar and a bridge patch. Click here to see a plan of a Miguel Rodriguez, Jr. guitar.
This is the second guitar that I have made using the 1960's style of Rodriguez bracing, the other guitar made with the bracing is currently being French polished. Both guitars, when you tap the tops, sound like loud drums.
This guitar is one of several that I am making to take to the Guitar Foundation of America International Convention and Competition in Denver, Colorado, June 2-0-25, 2016. I am one of the vendors.
I have a ton of work to do!
Remember: Hand tools rule the school!
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