Manuel Rodriguez FF Guitar

[Robo]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and playing guitar in general and wanted to verify this was a correct Manuel Rodriguez FF guitar. I picked it up on Ebay for $505.00 USD, Does anyone know what the value of this guitar is worth?...looks to be an older label, does anyone know what year roughly this guitar was made?...Overall in very good condition...some foggy finish on the heel and back of head near the bottom tuners, some tiny dings here and there, and one hair line crack in the finish about an inch long near the edge outside the pic guard...Any information and comments would be great...Any string advice would be helpful too, for a newbie like myself...thanks

[Pepe Vergara]

Nice guitar, it is worth what you paid for it. Enjoy it. THe FF has been Rodriguez best guitar.

[Mildnomsed]

Honestly, I would have doubt about whether is it a real Manuel Rodriguez because he work in Madrid and not Almansa. In the earlier years, he lived in Los Angeles. And its a FF model, suppose to be a high end, but why there's no signature on it? But no worries, I think as long as you are happy with your guitar, that's all it matters..

[NGiorgio]

It is probably a FF model at least 10 years old. Perhaps produced by the Almansa Company for Rodriquez. It's possible this guitar was made before Rodriquez opened his current factory operation.

As Pepe said, it seems like a nice guitar and well worth the money you paid for it.;-)

[Great Googly Moogly]

I own one and love it.

[Robo]

well I hope its real....I saw another MR on Ebay that has the same type of label....so that lead me to believe it was legit.......Is there anyway to find out for sure or as to how old it might be? any Manuel Rodriguez reference guides....? thanks, Robert

[Robo]

"One small correction regarding Manuel Rodriguez. When he returned to Spain from the U.S. in 1973 he did indeed open a shop on C. Hortaleza in Madrid. It's still there. He opened his first guitar factory in Almansa (Albacete province), not in Valencia, in 1991. They moved to a factory building in Illescas (Toledo) just a bit south of Madrid in 1994. The current factory is in Esquivias, also in Toledo province."

Which leads me to believe the guitar is the real deal...like you guys stated, its a nice guitar and worth the money spent...now I just need to practice, practice, and practice...thanks for all your help, Robert

[NGiorgio]

"One small correction regarding Manuel Rodriguez. When he returned to Spain from the U.S. in 1973 he did indeed open a shop on C. Hortaleza in Madrid. It's still there. He opened his first guitar factory in Almansa (Albacete province), not in Valencia, in 1991. They moved to a factory building in Illescas (Toledo) just a bit south of Madrid in 1994. The current factory is in Esquivias, also in Toledo province."

Which leads me to believe the guitar is the real deal...like you guys stated, its a nice guitar and worth the money spent...now I just need to practice, practice, and practice...thanks for all your help, Robert

Then it must have been made in Almansa between 1991 and 1994. It looks to be in great shape for its age. Have fun with it.:-)

[Pepe Vergara]

... Which leads me to believe the guitar is the real deal......now I just need to practice, practice, and practice...

If that makes you a better player, good for you!

[Robo]

I hope it will......:D Thanks for all who replied...I appreciate your kind words and knowledge....I also picked up a Manuel Raimundo 130 in mint condition...one classical and one flamenco.....I will post those pics when I get it Friday......thanks, Robert

[Y-2-H]

Great guitar! I think it is worth way more than what you paid for really!

[Robo]

Thanks....I appreaciate it.....I got it all cleaned and re-strung...ready to go...I did have a question regarding conditoning the fretboard...I hear lemon oil and linseed used alot...any opinion? Thanks, Robert

[Pepe Vergara]

Use lemon oil only, it is mineral oil plus a synthetic lemon fragrance. You only want to clean up dirt and human oil.

Linseed oil if for finishing other things when "boiled" and added with cobalt drier. It is also use to mix paints in fine art. It takes very long to dry. When used alone for finishing furniture, it takes too long of a time to dry.

[Robo]

Thanks Pepe.....Lemon Oil it is!.......is it the same lemon oil I see in the grocery store in the heath food/nutrition section..or do I buy it at a hardware store?.....thks, Robert

[Mildnomsed]

Hi Robo, u can try Old English Lemon Oil. Usually we use it on wooden furniture. But depends on the material of your fretboard, either ways, u would not want to 'overclean' your fretboard. A little bit of lemon oil does the job, too much it may soften your fretboard causing more wear n tear... Some fingerboards are just painted over with black paint to resembles ebony, overcleaning will clean away the paint n cause it to be unsightly. Enjoy your new guitar!

[Pepe Vergara]

... is it the same lemon oil I see in the grocery store in the heath food/nutrition section...
I am not familiar with this one. The other is petroleum based lemon oil, I do not think it is good for eating.
However, that is me. I do not use olive oil for French polish, I prefer the mineral oil that they sell for wiping the babies butt. I want a non reacting oil basically.

[Robo]

yea..I usually keep the olive oil for kitchen use and cooking..lol...thanks, pepe.......I will pick up the lemon oil from home depot...thks

[tanolonco]

I am not sure this has merit but i think putting oil on a fretboard should be done based on what season one is going into. In climates that require indoor heating, adding humidity is an issue and putting oil on the fretboard will inhibit the wood from absorbing the moisture (oil and water do not mix). I personally would hold off on putting oil onto the fretboard until summer when too much humidity is an issue. If you live in an environment that is pretty consistent year around then maybe anytime is ok. However, for those of us who live up north requiring indoor heating, the lack of humidity is a significant issue in the wintertime and I would want the fretboard to drink as much water as needed.

Just my opinion....maybe a luthier or two can chime in on this one.

As to conditioning the fretboard, I would use 0000 steel wool to clean the frets and fretboard (1500 micromesh will do the same thing) and then use 4000 then 6000 then 8000 micromesh to polish the wood. What this does is to get the wood to be super smooth which is a good thing for playing. I have found really polished wood to be a nice thing under my fingers.

[Robo]

I live in Houston, Texas USA...and there is good Humidity all year with extreme humidity in the summer....I think I'm ok using it now...I was told only oil the fret board once a year, which would be plenty to keep the wook conditioned.......thanks for the post..makes sense....

[Robo]

If I could only type....sorry for mispelled words....please no grading... hope my guitar practice goes better....

[Robo]

I had a local Luthier put some new Schaller machine heads, new strings, and bone saddle and bone nutt on ".........The tuning machines are so much better than the original ones that were on the guitar....My "Little Novia' is ready to sing...

[Great Googly Moogly]

I had a local Luthier put some new Schaller machine heads, new strings, and bone saddle and bone nutt on ".........The tuning machines are so much better than the original ones that were on the guitar....My "Little Novia' is ready to sing...
Cool! I'm on my way right now to Starbuck's with my FF to enjoy a cup of coffee while performing out in front.

[negrita]

Hi I have a model a and have the same label(also unsigned). Manuel Rodriquez guitars were made in their Almansa workshop about 15 years ago before they moved to Esquivias, Toledo.

You have a nice guitar