Author Archives: johnray

Juan Román Padilla

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juan romanGranada has lost another important figure in the guitar world: Juan Román Padilla. October 18th of this year was the last day in the life of the dean of the Granada guitar-makers. Among the most interesting episodes in his life are a series of visits to Marcelo Barbero who was a friend of his father’s, selling guitars to japanese and german dealers and ordering guitars from the struggling duo of Antonio Marín and Manuel Bellido. His father was a well-known flamenco guitarist whose stage name was Juanico de Chauchina and inspired him to begin making guitars. Like so many other makers of his generation he began his working life as a cabinet-maker or “ebanista” as the Spanish have it. His first guitar was made in 1949 during the dominance of Eduardo Ferrer and Manuel de la Chica in the Granada guitar. The Asociación de Guitarreros de Granada thanks him for his work in spreading the influence of Granada and preparing the groundwork for the thriving school we have here today.

John Ray

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Ray, John (ed.): La escuela granadina de guitarreros, Granada: Diputación Provincial de Granada, 2014.

Actividades en el Museu de la Música de Barcelona

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As you probably know, the Museum of Music in Barcelona has a great guitar collection including Fletas, Garcia, a few Torres, Pagés and many other spanish guitars. But what is a museum without programmed activities and the dissemination of knowledge? Here are currently planned activities at the Museum.  Activities Among them is a series of talks offered by my friend Antonio Manjon, a guitar-maker Antoniofrom the area who is a frequent visitor to the Museum, especially to the guitar collection where we have studied many of the guitars.

Juan Miguel Carmona

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Granada’s Palacio de Gomerez was host on the 19th of October to the presentation of the new 40th anniversary model by Juan Miguel Carmona. One of the founders of the “official” Escuela Granadina de Guitarreros, Juan Miguel has been a part of the Granada guitar-making and flamenco scene since his father (a french polisher of guitars) sent him to the workshop of Manuel Bellido at the tender age of 14. The guitar was the star of the evening although also present were guitar-makers Francisco Manuel Díaz and his son Francis, José López Bellido, Juan Manuel García as well as Dr. Erhard Hanen and supportive friends and family.

Two Invencibles

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The two copies of Torres’ Invencible will soon be completed and ready for the varnishing process. You always get a feeling of how a guitar will sound from tapping on the top and back, feeling the weight and balance and from the flexibility of the top. These ones are giving me a great impression so I am very excited.IMG_1173 IMG_1172 IMG_1171 IMG_1170

Non-tropical woods

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Between the Leonardo Project and general worries about CITES, non-tropical woods are becoming more popular among guitar-makers. The next step is convincing the buyers that these guitar are just as good. Keep in mind that what makes the sound of a guitar is the maker’s skill and the way he chooses to work and that the only make or break component of the guitar is the top which is non-tropical anyway. What convinces me most about using non-tropical woods is the fact that period instrument makers have been doing it for centuries. Pear, cherry, oak, boxwood, walnut, maple and a hundred other nice hard and beautiful woods are used for great-sounding instruments.

I stocked up on plentiful cypress, maple and Indian rosewood many years ago and of course have the CITES papers for the rosewood but I think more people might be asking for something different. Here are my latest aquisitions: Thanks to guitar-maker Youri Soroka for the european walnut, the alder, the american walnut and the cherry. The very figured piece is olive wood from Spain cut by an amateur maker here.IMG_1123