Classical Guitars - Kent Guitar Classics

José Luis Romanillos - at Fontmell Magna, Dorset

• Year:

  1972 - series 400, number 407, Labelled, dated, numbered and signed by the maker on the underneath the front as well as on the label.

• Body:

  Very beautiful rosewood with fine double-line purfling to the sides and fine-detailed, feather back centre-strip, heel-cap and purfling.
  Body length:- 482 mm.
  Top bout:- 275 mm wide & 90 mm deep.
  Waist:- 229 mm
  Bottom bout:- 358 mm wide & 94 mm deep.
  All shellac french-polished.

• Front:

  High quality European spruce carrying the famed arches rosette, rosewood bridge with tie-block decoration that echoes the purfling pattern. Liam Romanillos advises that the moorish arches rosette was first used in 1972.

• Tuners:

  Lansdorfer tuners with Hauser-shaped side-plates, set on a head faced with dark rosewood. This guitar was one of the first to have the well-known headshape; the same as it still is today.

• Scale:

  647mm with 19 frets on an ebony fingerboard

• Neck Width:

  51mm at the nut with 44 mm string spacing.

• Weight:

  1485 grams

• Condition:

  In original, very well cared-for condition. No cracks, no repairs and no re-polishing - though the polish all over the instrument is substantially crazed ... but with a pattern that is in a strange way, appealing.

• Comments:

  Made just a few months before the famous 1973 Romanillos that was extensively played by Julian Bream, this is a fine example of the 400 series which were based upon a 1950 Hauser. It has the famed moorish arches rosette and the head crest shape that became a fixture in the Romanillos design to this day.
  The sound is very well-balanced, with a full bass (F# air resonance) and clear, singing treble. The sustain is impressive, it projects well and seems to offer a lot of tonal variety.
  A very fine example in lovely condition.

  José Luis Romanillos - Click here to find out more about this maker

• Price:
  Sold April 2014.
• AVAILABILITY
  SOLD + 44 (0) 1732 453 523 Contact via Email

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