2024 Pepe Romero "Cutaway" SP/CSAR

Made by the son of the great guitarist of the same name. It has huge volume and extremely quick response. Although the tone is "classical", the response and playability is much like a southern Spanish flamenco guitar - likely due to its lightweight build, for its size. For many years now, these have been compared in this regard to the great instruments of Miguel Rodriguez. Since his 170th instrument, Pepe has adopted a reverse fan system (fans radiating from the bridge area, rather than from the soundhole) for his standard model after studying an early 1970's Rodriguez with this very system - indeed this guitar has 5 fans under the "moon" spruce top (cut by Edmund Blochinger in 1999). Pepe feels this opens the instrument up, and gives it a unique distinctive quality of sound that appeals greatly to his sense of style. Additionally for this guitar, Pepe has a "raised" soundhole - making the 19th fret extend over the soundhole which enlarges the main vibrating area of the top below the soundhole, making for a deeper, more resonant body. Pepe did this in an effort to make a 650mm scale have the same full, rich sound that he finds in his 660mm guitars. This guitar also features Pepe's new system for laminating the back with a thin layer of maple, which stabilizes the back such that only 2 back braces are needed, giving the instrument a deeper voice and more power. And of course, this guitar features a cutaway to provide easier access to the higher registers. Playability is very easy with a smooth neck and large, rounded frets as per his usual. Pepe's private waiting list for new instruments is several years so as his exclusive US dealer, we are pleased to acquire and offer a guitar or two of his per year.

Orfeo Magazine No. 10 - West Coast Luthiers