Classical Guitar - Standard

Hommage

My standard guitar is shaped by a Spanish decorative tradition, expressed through a strong and deliberate visual language. It echoes early twentieth-century Barcelona work, where bold purfling, expansive rosettes, and richly figured tonewoods form a confident and expressive aesthetic.

It is this visual language that draws me to the guitar. There is a certain excess in it, but it feels right. The ornament almost overwhelms it, but it doesn’t.

The design came together during a period of looking closely at the work of makers such as Simplicio and García, and the early work of Fleta. Certain qualities began to stand out: a bold use of colour and a dense visual identity with real presence.

The decorative language combines restrained line work with hand-made herringbone and mosaic elements. Each inlay is constructed in the workshop from raw veneers, hand planed to varying thicknesses to create subtle shifts between bold and fine lines. The result is intricate, but controlled, with the ornament held in balance.

Standard guitar rosette made entirely by hand from coloured timber veneers

Aged Materials

This guitar is built from carefully selected materials, chosen for their visual character and long-term stability. Many have been aged in the workshop for extended periods, in some cases over thirty years. Some sets were acquired from past luthiers, and in those cases the timber may be closer to sixty years since it was cut.

Older material behaves differently under the tools. It is more settled and stable with changes in moisture. The resins have hardened and crystallised, and the wood takes on a different character. It is more brittle, but also more predictable. It planes and scrapes differently to recently cut timber, and carries a liveliness that is immediately noticeable.

Appointments

This guitar is fitted with Sloane tuners, known for their smooth and precise action, achieved through a ball-bearing string post.

It is supplied in a lightweight, flight-ready case, offering a higher level of protection while remaining practical for travel.

figured maple back and sides harvested from the Alpine meadows in Austria

Finish

French polish is a traditional method of applying spirit varnish in very thin layers. Made from shellac resin dissolved in alcohol, it produces a light, flexible finish that builds a glaze on the wood and allows the resonance of the tonewoods to remain open.

It is a finish applied directly by hand. Built up slowly, it takes on depth and texture that reflect the way it is worked. There is a subtle irregularity to it, and a softness in the way the light moves across the guitar. It has a particular glow, a natural chatoyance, and to my eye it remains the most beautiful finish.

Although more delicate than modern synthetic coatings, it is easily repairable and can be renewed over time. The finish wears in with use, becomes part of the instrument, and can be reactivated and reworked decades later.