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My father recently died, and I came to possess the only personal item of his I ever wanted to remember him by - his old Spanish guitar.
It is not specifically a Flamenco guitar, although I did hear him try to play Flamenco on it [and I myself stumble through a clumsy Soleares from time to time!], as well as classical pieces by the likes of Tarrega and Ponce.
However, the guitar itself is a bit of a mystery.
He bought it several decades ago. He certainly had it in the 1950s, and may even have bought it as long ago as 1946. I have no picture of it at present, but I can say that it has a label saying simply: "Guermantes. Guitarrero a mano." No date, no serial number, no signature.
He bought it from the shop of Ivor Mairants in London, and one suggestion I have heard is that it was a "house brand" made specially for Mairants. But by whom?
Another suggestion is that it was one of many turned out in the mid-20c by one of the factories in Valencia, and that the suggestion of "hand-made" on the label is misleading.
If anyone has any further suggestions about the guitar, I would be interested to hear them.
RE: info on "Guermantes" l... (in reply to Man of Mystery)
That's me! Hi there!
I must confess I'm not getting very far. No definite answers, but plenty of suggestions.
I have been trying to upload a jpg of the guitar here, without much success. If I don't manage it this time, please feel free [Skai or anybody] to email me for a copy - gm6men@qsl.net