2013 Rafael Moreno Rodríguez SP/CSAR

This 2013 Rafael Moreno Rodríguez is a spruce and CSA rosewood concert classical guitar from Granada, Spain, made with the light strutting and three-piece back typical of his classicals.

Rosewood on Rosewood

The back pairs two pieces of CSA rosewood with a narrow strip of Indian rosewood set between them, and the spruce top is braced with a lighter 6-strut system that leaves it slightly more responsive and playable.

Sound

The volume is excellent without ever becoming boomy, and the sound is thick and punchy in every register, the trebles most remarkably of all. An exceptional concert guitar that we can highly recommend for its concert-worthy sound as well as its refined, unique workmanship.

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.