Miguel Simplicio – 1932 No. 339
Miguel Simplicio – 1932 No. 339
Overview
Overview
Miguel Simplicio (1899-1938) was the son of the famous Barcelonian luthier Francisco Simplicio (1874-1932), disciple and successor of Enrique Garcia (1868-1922). Not only was there a filial relationship between Francisco and Miguel, but also a direct skill and aesthetic transmission as Francisco trained Miguel as a luthier from a young age. Miguel Simplicio's guitars are scarce as his production under his name only spans the last six years of his life. After the passing of his father in 1932, he took over the workshop, following his father's building concept and aesthetic. Miguel Simplicio built his guitars in the most faithful Barcelonian tradition, often with luxurious decoration, a tornavoz, a very deep body air resonance, and a sweet melancholic voice. To give an idea of his very small production and the rare number of guitars having survived: only sixteen of his instruments were listed in the reference book about Francisco and Miguel Simplicio published in 2010 by Diego Milanese and Umberto Piazza at the editions Il Dialogo in Milan, Italy. Miguel Simplicio was a skilled luthier and an influential figure in Barcelona's guitar-making history, and each of his guitars is a rare find and a fantastic concert instrument.
This rare and in every respect exceptional instrument is one of the last six instruments that Francisco and Miguel Simplicio built together. When Francisco died unexpectedly in 1932, this instrument was not yet completely finished, so that Miguel then completed the work alone and also signed the label. The last guitar built by Francisco and Miguel together bears the number 342. Acoustically, due to its C#/D main resonance and the usage of brass tornavoz, this piece of art possesses the famous old-world charm of Simplicio guitars. The gorgeous spruce soundboard with its patina displays utmost elegance and is in excellent condition, with only one perfectly repaired hairline crack along the fingerboard. The bridge has been remade to the original. Furthermore, the beautifully decorated mahogany back and sides elevate the look of this instrument to the next level of elegance.
Watch the presentation video of this particular guitar below, where you can find a lot of additional information about its playability and sound.
| Luthier: | Miguel Simplicio |
| Construction year: | 1932 |
| Top: | Spruce |
| Back and sides: | Mahogany |
| Scale: | 650 mm |
| Nut: | 50 mm |
| Weight: | 1660 grams |
| Air body frequency: | C#/D |
| Tuners: | - |
| Strings: | Knobloch EDC 34.0 |
| Case: | Hardshell old |
| Condition: | Very good |

Video overview









