Classical Guitars - Kent Guitar Classics

Francisco Simplicio of Paseo San Juan 110, Barcelona

• Year:

  1926 - number 119. Labelled, signed, dated and numbered by the maker.

• Body:

  Beautiful Brazilian rosewood, dark in colour, straight-grained sides and more curved on the back. With wide, multiple-line purfling to the back and sides with rosewood bindings.
  Body length:- 473mm.
  Top bout:- 273 mm wide & 94 mm deep.
  Waist:- 232 mm & 98 mm deep.
  Bottom bout:- 350 mm wide & 95 mm deep.
  All shellac french-polished.

• Front:

  Book-matched, European spruce carrying one of Simplicio's most lovely rosettes, rosewood bridge with highly-decorated tie-block capping and detailed purfling that echoes the outer ring pattern of the rosette.

• Tuners:

  Originals from the 1920's with engraved side-plates and mother-of-pearl buttons mounted on ebony head-facing with the well-known Simplicio carving.

• Scale:

  65cm with 19 frets on an ebony fingerboard

• Neck Width:

  51mm at the nut with 43.5 mm string spacing.

• Weight:

  1482 grams

• Condition:

  Because of the relatively high humidity in Barcelona, it is quite challenging to find Simplicos without cracks and repairs. This one has had moderate repair as follows:-
  The Brazilian rosewood back had visible grain line cracks - now made good, they are flat and barely visible.
  The sides are in near-perfect condition - just very small shrinkage crack-line at the widest point of the body where are the ends of the main back bar.
  The front has a spliced and cleated crack repair from sound-hole to the bottom - very well done. Also one tight-closed crack from bridge to bottom in line with the 6th string.
  Tight up to the sides of the fingerboard are the very common shrinkage cracks - tight closed and harmless.
  The neck, head and tuners are all original and in good playing condition. On close inspection, the fingerboard has been widened, a very long time ago, from its width when first made likely for a player with small hands.
  The guitar is in full-playable condition and sounds lovely.

• Comments:

  Francisco Simplicio was one of the great, early 20th century Barcelona makers. He made many heavily-decorated instruments as well as a Torres model like his mentor Enrique Garcia.
  This one is a tastefully-decorated one with lovely timbers and sound character that is typical Simplicio i.e. with a deep bass (air resonance around F#), a warm rich mid-range and a sweet, nicely-sustaining treble.
  Lovely to look at, comfortable to play and with a lovely sound palette, this is a really lovely guitar.

  Francisco Simplicio - Click here to find out more about this maker

• Price:
  Sold August 2020
• AVAILABILITY
  SOLD + 44 (0) 1732 453 523 Contact via Email

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