1958 Miguel Rodríguez SP/CY "Henrietta" (Romero collection)

This 1958 Miguel Rodríguez is a spruce and cypress guitar built by Miguel Jr. in Córdoba – “Henrietta”, the very first Rodríguez ever owned by Pepe Romero.

Pepe Romero’s First Rodríguez

The guitar was bought for the young Pepe as a gift by an Englishwoman named Henrietta, an admirer who wanted to help his career as it was just starting to take off – hence the guitar’s name, which is written on a small label inside. The main label, “Constructor Miguel Rodríguez, Año 1958, Alfaros 15, Córdoba”, has the oval stamp in the lower right corner, the mark of Miguel Jr.

Flamenco Records and Boccherini

Pepe recorded his first two albums on this guitar, both flamenco records (now available on CD): “Flamenco Fenómeno!” (Contemporary), recorded in 1959 when Pepe was 15, and “Flamenco!” (Mercury, 1962). Listen to him play the nine-minute first track of Flamenco!, “Fiesta en Jerez”. Years later the guitar was used for several classical recordings by Pepe and his father, most notably Boccherini quintets with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

From the Romero Collection: GSI, June 1, 2013

This instrument was one of six guitars from Pepe Romero’s personal collection featured in a memorable event in the GSI showroom on June 1, 2013. The six were chosen because they are the key guitars that most influenced his son, luthier Pepe Romero Jr., before and during his career as a luthier. Pepe Jr. presented them, with background stories from his intimate knowledge of these guitars (he literally lived with them), and Scott Tennant played them – Part 3 of that concert, on this guitar, is the video above. See photos of the event.

The Rodríguez Family of Córdoba

The classical and flamenco guitars of Miguel Rodríguez have been the favorite pick of many leading concert artists, most notably all members of the Romero family. In actuality, when speaking of Miguel Rodríguez, one is really making reference to a family of four guitar builders spanning three generations, all working in Córdoba – deep in Andalucía, the region of southern Spain that gave birth to the modern Spanish guitar in the person of Antonio de Torres. The early labels give the address San Fernando 70; in 1939 the family moved to Calle Alfaros 15, the address printed on every Rodríguez label from then on.

Four Makers, Three Generations

The workshop was founded by Miguel Beneyto Rodríguez (1888–1975, also known as “Miguel Sr.”). His twin sons, Rafael Rodríguez Serrano (1921–1965) and Miguel Rodríguez Serrano (1921–1998, also known as “Miguel Jr.”), worked alongside him, followed by Miguel Jr.’s son, José Rodríguez Álamo (1949–1996, also known as “Pepe”). The guitars of Miguel Sr. were lightly built and small-to-medium-bodied, with a very expressive, lyrical and singing quality to the sound and overwhelming projection. As the twins rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, the guitars evolved into a more consistent, streamlined style with larger bodies, still quite lightweight. The later period of Miguel Jr. and Pepe (1970s–1998) – the time of the “Churchdoor” and the decorated “Centenario” guitars – is perhaps the best known, with longer scales, deeper bodies and an even lighter bracing system, yet always with a fast, flamenco-like response and a warm, romantic and soulful Spanish character. After the deaths and illnesses in the family in the mid-1990s, the workshop closed in 1998.

Who Built It? Reading the Rodríguez Stamp

All four makers used the same printed label, so the family marked each guitar with the position of a small, peanut-shaped “M. Rodríguez · Córdoba” stamp in purple ink – often half on the label and half on the wood, and sometimes faded: no stamp – Miguel Sr.; a stamp in the upper right corner of the label – Rafael; in the lower right corner – Miguel Jr.; midway down the right edge – Pepe. From the mid-1970s the labels were also signed “Miguel Rodríguez” across the right side. The “Centenario” model, with extra inlay in the rosette and purfling, was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Miguel Sr.’s birth (1888–1988), and its labels are marked “Centenario” – from 1992 “Centenario 1888–1988”.

Miguel Rodríguez Guitars and the Romero Family

All members of the Romero family have performed on these instruments since the late 1950s, and their own artistic development and expression are immutably linked to them – a lifelong relationship that wrote one of the great chapters in the history of the guitar. As Pepe Romero has told us, “What the jet engine did for aviation, the Rodríguez family did for the guitar.” You can read more in our article on the Rodríguez family of guitar makers.

Books on Miguel Rodríguez

Two Rodríguez guitars – a 1936 Miguel Rodríguez Beneyto and Pepe Romero’s 1973 “La Wonderful” – are reproduced in Alberto Martínez’s book “34 Classical Guitars in Life Size”, with photographs and full-size drawings of each instrument:

34 Classical Guitars in Life Size