Description
Hijos de Gonzalez ~1890 – truly an amazing high end classical guitar by one of the most important and influential turn-of-the-century (19th/20th) Spanish workshops.
Nineteenth century Madrid-based builder Francisco Gonzalez was a near exact contemporary of Antonio de Torres but who built in his own style. Gonzalez was very celebrated in his own day – he was the winner of several prizes and medals in various exhibitions during his lifetime and is known to have been the teacher of both Jose Ramirez I and his brother Manuel Ramirez.
Gonzalez’ reputation in his own day is strongly suggests that he must have been a prolific builder, however, much like Vicente Arias, very few of his instruments survive to the present day. Francisco Gonzalez had 3 daughters. The oldest one Maria Barbara Concepcion learned from him and became a guitar builder in Francisco Gonzalez’ shop. Later, when she got married, her husband Enrique Romans Papell joined them and was also taught by Francisco Gonzalez. After Francisco Gonzalez’ death in 1879, his work was carried on by his daughter and son-in-law under the name “Hijos de Gonzalez”.
This particular guitar is a beautiful example from this shop, featuring some exquisite inlay work. It has a spruce top and rosewood back and sides. The scale length is 645 mm and the nut width 50 mm. We love its big body of this pguitar and the fine construction, which gives the sound a very noble and concert quality character.
Apart from a few old and stable repairs, the instrument is in extremely well-preserved condition and remains very original. Playability is spot on with 3.8 mm E and 3.2 mm e at the 12th fret. The saddle of the bridge even has room left for future adjustments.
This fine classical guitar is a true master grade guitar that was certainly built at the time for a guitarist for professional use.
The sound is distinctly old world … It has a velvety texture, rich with concentrated overtones, yet with great clarity at the core of each note. Due to its ultra-lightweight build, the production of sound is immediate, with an ample amount of tonal modulation and dynamic range. This guitar also boasts enormous power, which will immediately put to rest any rumor that old guitars don’t have much sound!
All in all, this is a wonderful instrument, made with a high level of artistry and craftsmanship.
This is by every standard a rare, historically important, well-preserved and for all matters, great sounding and playing guitar by one of the most important and influential turn-of-the-century (19th/20th) Spanish workshops.
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