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The city of Almería could be considered the "cradle" of modern Spanish guitar making, beginning of course with Antonio de Torres. The lineage continued with the Moya brothers (who apprenticed under Torres), then to the builder of this guitar - Miguel Gonzalez Abad (1906-1989) and then to Gerundino Fernández, leaving a deep tradition of guitar making in this very important Andalucian city. Miguel “El Cojo” Gonzalez Abad ("El Cojo" being a nickname he received after being injured in a traffic accident) was initially trained as a cabinet maker but after apprenticing with the Moya brothers, built his first guitar at only 17 years of age and went on to become an excellent builder of guitars and bandurrias. He remained active until he was 83 years old when he died on June 19, 1989. This particular instrument is incredibly interesting - it has a noticeably deep box giving it a very low body resonance which helps give it a completely "mid-century Spanish" style of sound - dry, woody, loose, warm and exceptionally responsive - so much so that it almost feels like the guitar plays itself with minimal effort from the player. It has a strong character in the purest Andalusian tradition. The notes are vibrant and singing, it can be soft or percussive depending on the player, but always maintains a beautiful musicality full of old-world charm. It is also incredibly easy to play with a comfortable and sleek neck shape and low action (3.75mm at 12th fret bass side and 3.00mm at 12th fret treble side - with plenty of extra saddle). Overall a rare, well-preserved vintage mid-century cypress classical guitar that has absolutely amazing and mesmerizing sound. It's a pity more guitars from this maker aren't in heavier circulation - Abad could easily have been a household name in the Spanish guitar world.
