Classical Guitars - Kent Guitar Classics

Domingo Esteso of Gravina 7, Madrid.

• Year:

  1928 - labelled and dated by the maker.

• Body:

  Brazilian rosewood - beautiful, quarter-sawn timber with complex purfling but no centre-strip decoration to highlight the 'spider-webbing' grain pattern in the centre. The sides are straight-grained with the same purfling as the back.
  Body length:- 488 mm.
  Top bout:- 278 mm wide & 97 mm deep.
  Waist:- 237 mm & 100 mm deep.
  Bottom bout:- 363 mm wide & 97 mm deep.

• Front:

  European spruce - quite narrow-grained and book-matched with a broad highly-decorated rosette and purfling that matches the feathered, outer rings of the rosette. It has a rosewood bridge with tie-block capping decorated with the same feather motif of the purfling and mother-of-pearl framed.

• Tuners:

  Original, high quality tuning machines of unknown make with engraved brass side-plates, lyre design at both ends with bone rollers and mother-of-pearl buttons. All in working order - but obviously very old.

• Scale:

  656mm with 19 frets on an ebony fingerboard.

• Neck Width:

  51.3 mm at the nut with 41mm string spacing.

• Weight:

  1479 grams

• Condition:

  The condition for a guitar made nearly 90 years ago is really very good.
  The back centre seam is slightly separated down at the bottom for about 6 cm with a small gap in the purfling joint - not very noticeable and of no concern.
  The sides are in very good condition - inside I find a glued fabric patch at the widest part of the bottom bout adjacent to where we see some little crack lines next to the purfling on the front - nothing to see or feel on the outside.
  The front has one significant crack below the bridge, in line with the end of the tie-block. It has been repaired decades ago by the Spanish traditional method of glued fabric. There is an insignificant 5cm beginning of centre-seam separation down at the bottom - totally insignificant and barely noticeable.
  The neck and head are fine; some polish rubbed of the neck and minor fingerboard surface wear in lower positions.
  The front polish may well be original - it has that old look - with very little playing marks on the bass side but end-of-nail marks in the treble side and string-changing wear below the bridge.

• Comments:

  Domingo Esteso was a very famous Madrid maker whose guitars today are highly sought-after. He made many wonderful flamenco guitars played by the old great players like Ricardo, Montoya etc. His classical guitars, in lesser quantity than the flamencos could be extremely good. This particular one was made for and played by Daniel Fortea (1878 - 1953) the Spanish guitarist composer. Until recently it remained in his descendant family. A letter from his descendants Conde Hermanos - Sobrinos de Domingo Esteso - provided a letter confirming the provenance.
  It is fully and normally playable. The sound is lovely with a warm, velvety, yet crisp bass and a clear middle and singing treble. It plays like a modern guitar and with plenty of energy but has something of that old Spanish sound - lovely. This is a real treat and something of classical guitar history.

  Domingo Esteso - Click here to find out more about this maker

• Price:
  Sold May 2018.
• AVAILABILITY
  SOLD + 44 (0) 1732 453 523 Contact via Email

  Available from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. UK time.