Guitar maker from Badalona, Antonio Manjón attended courses given by Romanillos in Cordoba in 1992, 1993 and 1995.
He has built magnificent concert guitars and replicas of guitars by Antonio de Torres, such as the FE09 "la de Llobet".
He has given lectures on the dissemination and promotion of the classical guitar. Founding member and president of the Badalona Guitar Association since 2012. He is the director of this festival.
For the exhibition, Antonio has built two guitars, called Birgitte and Treinta Años. They are inspired by two guitars by maestro Romanillos, the Marian and the Medio Siglo respectively.
He himself tells us about their main characteristics:
BIRGITTE
The name of the guitar is "Birgitte", as a gift for my wife Birgitte.
INSPIRATION: I have been inspired by the “Marian” model, the template and the interior structure of the soundboard, with small variations in the thicknesses.
CHARACTERISTICS: I have maintained the template and measurements, the “V-joint” for the head/neck, and the purfling in the hoop/socket, and I have incorporated motifs inspired by the Medio Siglo, into the decorations, such as the top of the head and purflings.
A CURIOSITY: The rosette of this guitar is a gift from Abel García López and is the seed of this festival. Abel was the one who proposed the challenge of this exhibition but he knew my doubts about organising it - my excuse was that I didn't know if I would be able to make a Romanillos-style rosette - so he gave me this rosette as a gift and I had no excuse. Then I was encouraged and I also made my own Romanillos rosette for the second guitar... and here we are!
TREINTA AÑOS
The name of the guitar is "Thirty years", as a memory of my courses 30 years ago in Córdoba with José Luis Romanillos.
INSPIRATION: I have been inspired by the Medio Siglo guitar, the template and the interior structure of the soundboard, with small variations in the thicknesses.
CHARACTERISTICS: I have kept the template and measurements, the "V-joint" fit on the head/neck and the purflings with the spikes. I have used a 4-piece top, but in the back only two (original 4) and in the sides and neck only one piece (original 2).
Below you can see some photographs taken during the construction process of these instruments.
