Making a Spanish Guitar, J L Romanillos

Title:  Making a Spanish Guitar; Includes full size guitar plans

Author:            José L. Romanillos Vega

Language:       English

Pages:             221

"In this book I have endeavoured to explain the path that I followed, as a self-taught guitar maker with no prior knowledge of guitar making, and the difficulties that I had to overcome to make guitars by hand. I thought that my experiences could help those interested in making a Spanish guitar without sophisticated machinery and specialist tools. I explain how to sharpen and handle tools like cutting and marking gauges, make special devices, as well as how to make the solera and bend the ribs. I define my way of assembling the guitar and polishing the instrument and above all, how to select a good spruce soundboard. Apart from the text, I have taken photographs of my work in progress in my present workshop in Guijosa. Included with my book are full-size plans of two Romanillos guitars; Romanillos Plan I based on the guitar made for Julian Bream in 1973, and Romanillos Plan II based on the guitar made by Antonio de Torres in 1885.

This may sound an old-fashioned approach to explain how to make a guitar in this technological century bearing in mind that there is a plethora of books on guitar making that advocate the use of machinery. I have always enjoyed carving woods and for me guitar making is a wonderful way of cajoling sound out of the wood by using my own hands and dreaming that the next guitar will turn out to be the perfect guitar. One thing is guaranteed for those who take the plunge into making a guitar following this book; the experience will be unforgettable."

José L. Romanillos
Guijosa, 2013