2002 Rafael Moreno Rodríguez "Sueño" CD/CSAR (ex Vicente Coves)

This 2002 Rafael Moreno Rodríguez "Sueño" (No. 163) is a cedar and CSA rosewood concert classical guitar from Granada, Spain, once the touring and recording guitar of Granada concert artist Vicente Coves – and the actual guitar shown in the book "Guitarreros de Andalucía."

Vicente Coves' Concert Guitar

These guitars principally are made only for collectors and concert players. Pepe and Celin Romero each own one of these models, and this particular instrument was owned by up-and-coming concert artist Vicente Coves, of Granada. Vicente used it in many concerts and recordings, including this CD of Latin American music released by Naxos. It is also featured prominently in the book "Guitarreros de Andalucía" in the chapter discussing Rafael Moreno Rodríguez. Additional information and photos on this guitar’s history.

The "Sueño" Design

Rafa named this, his flagship model, "Sueño" – "Dream." The idea came from a 19th-century guitar by Joaquín Ruiz that he once restored: Rafa loved the craftsmanship so much that some of its decorative elements became part of the "Sueño," a tribute to that guitar and its maker. Structurally the guitar is all Rafa.

The thick, multi-band purfling of the back meets at the heel and foot and then opens into interlacing lines across a broad maple strip from one end of the back to the other, workmanship of a kind rarely matched in the last century of guitar making. A 19th-century period-style bridge and a headstock in the shape of a pomegranate ("granada" in Spanish – a nod to his city) complete the picture. The materials are first rate, and this represents Rafa at his most creative.

Sound

It has the characteristic sound of Moreno Rodríguez' guitars – big volume without being boomy and a thick, dark sound across all registers. This is an exceptional concert guitar and we recommend it highly – its sound, its provenance and its refined, unique workmanship all speak for it.

Read more: Orfeo Magazine No. 8 – The Granada School

Rafael Moreno Rodríguez: Classical and Flamenco Guitar Maker of Granada

Rafael Moreno Rodríguez (b. 1954) – "Rafa" to everyone in Granada – began making guitars at the early age of 12 under the watchful eyes of Manuel López Bellido and Antonio Marín Montero, and in those early years he also studied with Eduardo Ferrer, often called the "teacher of teachers" of the Granada school. Although unrelated to Miguel Rodríguez of Córdoba, he counts Rodríguez's guitars among his strongest influences, along with those of Santos Hernández and Benito Ferrer. After his apprenticeship he opened his own shop on the famous Cuesta de Gomérez below the Alhambra, where he stayed until 2000; since then he has worked at Jesús y María 10.

One Level of Guitar, Built Entirely by Hand

Rafa works alone and refuses to hurry. He builds every guitar from scratch – down to the bone nut and saddle, carved by hand – mostly from CSA rosewood, spruce and cedar that he bought, cut and cured himself, and he makes only one level of instrument. His classical and flamenco guitars have been played by Pepe and Celin Romero, Vicente Coves, Gerardo Núñez, Juan and Pepe Habichuela and the late flamenco singer Enrique Morente, among many others.