Classical Guitars - Kent Guitar Classics

Enrique Garcia of Barcelona

• Year:

  1917 - number 178. Labelled, signed, addressed and dated by the maker.

• Body:

  South american rosewood of uncertain species, with fine, double-line purflings and characteristic, rounded heelcap.
  Top bout:- 270 mm wide & 89 mm deep.
  Waist:- 230 mm
  Bottom bout:- 347 mm wide & 92 mm deep.

• Front:

  European spruce with a well-recognised rosette of the maker, slim double-line purflings, rosewood bridge with mother-of-pearl tie-block framing. The front has the maker's often-used assymetrical 8 fan-strut design. There is a brass tornovoz in the soundhole.

• Tuners:

  Unidentified make - seemingly original, with quite plain side-plates and round, bone buttons mounted on a Torres-style head.

• Scale:

  649mm with 19 frets on the ebony fingerboard.

• Neck Width:

  49 mm at the nut with 42mm string spacing

• Weight:

  1345 grams

• Condition:

  The condition is very good; the front particularly. The head, neck, sides and front are in really excellent condition for its 95 years.
  The back which appears to be Brazilian, has several cracks - which are tight closed. At some stage decades ago, the back has been taken off to effect back crack repair. There is some loss to the very narrow purflings and so by today's best standards, it could have been done better.
  As is common for very old, shellac-polished guitars, the polish is rather opaque on back and sides and the grain filler is showing through (exaggerated by the digital photo), which spoils access to the appearance of the wood. A re-polish of back would make a dramatic difference but then it wouldn't be as when made - but it has had some over-polishing on the back anyway.

• Comments:

  Catalan guitar maker Enrique Garcia (1868-1922) was and still is undoubtedly one of the most revered makers of the late 19th century and early 20th, producing many Torres-styled guitars as well as more highly decorative instruments in later years, perhaps with assistance from his disciple Francisco Simplicio who joined him in the year of making this guitar.
  This particular guitar was made for a female professional in 1917 and she kept it all her life until her passing in 2006.
  It has immense depth of bass (with air resonance down near D!) combined with a sweet and lyrical treble. So characteristic of the period and extremely similar to many of Torres' instruments, this is very rare treasure and a joy still to be in perfectly good playing order. A true gem.

  Enrique Garcia - Click here to find out more about this maker

• Price:
  Please enquire
• AVAILABILITY
  SOLD + 44 (0) 1732 453 523 Contact via Email

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