Granada guitarmaker's association proposes a museum

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johnguitar

Posts: 208
Joined: Jan. 10 2006

Granada guitarmaker's association pr...

Yesterday (March 13) was the first day of the the exhibition of early guitars “Towards a Guitar Museum” in Granada. The setting is the absolutely sumptuous palace in Carmen de los Mártires close to the Alhambra. It will run until April 14 of this year. It is open Wednesdays to Sundays from 10am to 2pm. This show comes out of a desire to establish a permanent museum of the guitar in Granada (or anywhere else in Spain for that matter). Some very interesting guitars showing some of the hallmarks of the 19th century makers like the multi-piece backs, pear shaped body or the scroll.

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John Ray
https://www.johnguitar.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2019 18:26:30

flyeogh

Posts: 729
Joined: Oct. 13 2004

RE: Granada guitarmaker's associatio... (in reply to johnguitar)

Found that and your site fascinating. Thanks man

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nigel (el raton de Watford - now Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2019 18:56:38

RobJe

Posts: 731
Joined: Dec. 16 2006
From: UK

RE: Granada guitarmaker's associatio... (in reply to johnguitar)

Thanks for posting this John.

Whenever people ask me about buying guitars in Granada I tell them to read your website as part of some preliminary research.

After years of playing a 1968 Ramirez and envying a couple of people I played with who had guitars made by Antonio Marin and Manuel de la Chica, I made my first of many trips to Granada in 1990 – the year after you arrived I gather.

I found that Antonio Marin’s guitars were only available to order - I shouldn’t have been surprised. There were plenty of guitars available in Granada but most of them didn’t suit me. I eventually found one guitar by Antonio Ariza that I really liked. On subsequent visits I was better prepared and getting to know who worked alone and who had helpers with a higher rate of production. Finding guitars just back from the varnisher was an occasional lucky break giving me first choice. I remember a fabulous guitar by Rafael Moreno that I couldn’t buy because I had just bought the guitar of my dreams from Manuel Bellido. Over the years I have had four Granada guitars

It was always good to talk to Antonio Durán who seemed to know what was going on and of course had knowledge about the Ferrer workshop and all the Granada makers who passed through it. There were of course many of these who had started out in cabinet making, found that it was a disappearing profession and brought their skills to luthery instead. They were the same age as me and not all of them still alive.

Rob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 17 2019 17:51:16

johnguitar

Posts: 208
Joined: Jan. 10 2006

RE: Granada guitarmaker's associatio... (in reply to johnguitar)

The exhibition is over. However, the latest my latest blog post contains a video and some more photos that. There are photos and a bit of information about each guitar. This is the closest thing I could do to a catalogue. https://johnguitar.com/exhibition-tour/

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John Ray
https://www.johnguitar.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 21 2019 8:13:05

Echi

Posts: 1132
Joined: Jan. 11 2013

RE: Granada guitarmaker's associatio... (in reply to johnguitar)

It’s very interesting and your work precious.
I read regularly your blog.

I was in Granada first in 98 and that was the beginning of my interest for flamenco and the flamenco guitar: I still remember with pleasure the guitars I tried and the guitar makers I met at the time.
I still play a couple of guitars made in Granada.
I for one though am more interested in the guitars made in the last 30 years than those made many years ago. I’s kind of interesting to know how was the environment in Granada at the time of Torres but it’s even more interesting to me how the new age of Granada rose up in the 70ies.
I prefer the Granada of the last 50 years and actually some makers more than others.

Maybe there is a reason for this: I once spoke with a very learned guitarist and musicologist that wanted to persuade me that Panormo was much more important than Torres for the development of the modern guitar.
We spoke a couple of hours of many things: the guitars made in Andalucia at the time, the pitch commonly used to tune the guitars in the different areas of Europe, the Borbonic Reign etc.
I was fascinated until I understood his starting point: being that guy from Neaples in Italy (a cultural capital city at the time) he wanted to bring me to the historical cultural centrality of Neaples as essential for the Devélopement of the modern guitar, to claim a sort of gratitude etc..
I mean: the environment is important as much as you want but my point then (and now) is that Torres is Torres and we all know that he was born in the desert of Almeria and nobody knows for sure how he learned.
I read something written by a certain guitarmaker of Granada which remembered me that episode.
Environment is important but I find people are more important than places.
Probably in each time there are some leading figures emerging and setting the trend through the meeting with a musician.
What would be the classical guitar without the repertoire written because of Segovia and what should be the flamenco guitar without Paco?
I could speak of the time of the “ enlightment “ but then Leonardo Da Vinci is a unique as it was the role of Gutenberg etc.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 22 2019 8:34:32