1928 Francisco Simplicio No. 195 SP/SW

This 1928 Francisco Simplicio is a spruce and satinwood classical guitar from Barcelona, No. 195 – built from a rarely used satinwood and fitted with a wooden tornavoz.

In the video above, Alex Park plays Tárrega's "Recuerdos de la Alhambra" on this guitar.

Satinwood Back and Sides

The materials are as striking as the carving and inlay work: the back and sides are a gorgeous and rarely used satinwood. The engraved headstock and ornate rosette make this a fine example of this maker at his best.

A Wooden Tornavoz

Tonally it is particularly magnificent, with great depth across the whole register, a big bottom-end and lyrical trebles. Its wooden "tornavoz" – a conical tube attached to the soundhole – enhances this, adding a sonic boom in the bass and brilliant clarity in the trebles. A very desirable guitar from one of Barcelona's great makers.

Orfeo article on Simplicio – the French guitar magazine Orfeo devoted a feature to Francisco and Miguel Simplicio in its first issue.

Francisco Simplicio: Enrique García's Only Pupil

Francisco Simplicio (1874–1932) was brought up in Barcelona and was a cabinet-maker before he turned to guitar making in the workshop of Enrique García, the founder of the Barcelona school. He joined García in 1918, and the guitars of García's last years were built by the two of them together. When García died in 1922, Simplicio took over the premises at Paseo de San Juan 110, and his labels proudly state that he was García's "successor and only pupil" – "Suc. y único discípulo de Enrique García" – with García's Chicago 1893 medals.

Carved Headstocks and Art Nouveau Ornament

Simplicio was known not only for the beautiful tone of his instruments, but also for his exquisite workmanship and use of extravagant ornamentation. The ornate purfling and rosette detailing are immediately recognizable features of his work, as are the heavily and beautifully engraved headstocks, very much in the Art Nouveau taste of Barcelona at the time. His standard head was based on the Torres pattern, he often fitted a "tornavoz" (a conical tube attached to the soundhole), and in 1929 he won a gold medal at the World's Fair in Barcelona. He died in January 1932 and his son Miguel carried on the workshop.

The Simplicio Sound

The famous 'sound' of Simplicio is perhaps the most unique of the great makers of the twentieth century – it has a very "old-world" charm, and players of these guitars often remark how they are transported psychologically to another world when playing a Simplicio. His guitars left their mark on later makers such as Ignacio Fleta and Daniel Friederich, and they are sought after by collectors because despite their age they continue to play well.