2020 Stefan Nitschke "Romanillos" SP/CSAR

German luthier Stefan Nitschke has become known for building quality instruments in the Torres/Hauser tradition. Stefan’s newest model is based on the work of Jose Romanillos (himself a builder of Torres and Hauser style guitars of course). For this model, Stefan follows closely not just many of the structural details of Romanillos’ work, but also his classic aesthetics, most notably the "Moorish" arch in the rosette, headshape and inlay work in the bridge and head. Rather than being a literal copy of a specific Romanillos guitar, Stefan rather builds more of a tribute to the maestro by capturing the key aspects found in Romanillos' work, in particular by using his open harmonic bar system with the 4 struts beneath. Stefan has delivered a fantastic instrument to us, nicknamed "La Madena" and we are thrilled to have it. The bearclaw spruce top is gorgeous with a very dramatic set of very colorful CSA rosewood to complement it, and the darker, amber colored finish gives the guitar more of an aged look (without the wear). The guitar has a loose, warm sound - it sounds almost as it looks. We've had some great older Romanillos from the 1970s and 1980s that had been played-in beautifully and Stefan's guitar has very similar attributes: warmth yet clarity, looseness yet focus to each note and lyrical charm in the trebles with sturdy supportive basses. Overall a stunning instrument and we are very pleased to be working with this excellent maker.

Orfeo Magazine #22 - Gernot Wagner Pioneer of the double top and the new German generation