A few makers are remembered as much for their writing as for their guitars. José Luis Romanillos (1932–2022) is one of them: a luthier whose instruments carried the pure, balanced "Spanish sound" — and a scholar whose research reshaped how we understand the history of his craft.
From Madrid to a workshop in England
Romanillos was born in Madrid on 17 June 1932. At thirteen he apprenticed at a Madrid cabinet-maker, learning to work fine wood. In 1956, aged twenty-four, he moved to England to learn the language, working at first as a psychiatric nurse and then in cabinet-making. He built his first guitar in London in 1961 — a flamenco instrument he named Toribia after his mother. In 1970 he set up his own workshop in Semley, a move encouraged by the great British guitarist Julian Bream, who became closely associated with his instruments.
The "Spanish sound"
Romanillos became renowned for capturing the warm, singing, perfectly balanced tone that players think of as the essence of the Spanish guitar — so much so that he was sometimes called "the Stradivarius of the guitar." His instruments, made in modest numbers, are prized by concert players and collectors alike. The connection with Julian Bream, who performed and recorded on Romanillos guitars, sealed his international reputation.
The scholar
What sets Romanillos apart is that he also became one of the most important historians of the instrument. Working with his wife Marian Harris Winspear, he wrote Antonio de Torres: His Life and Work (1983) — still the definitive study of the father of the modern guitar — and later a monumental dictionary of Spanish makers of plucked and bowed instruments. He and Marian also founded a celebrated guitar-making course in Spain. He returned to Spain in 1995 and died on 11 February 2022, aged 89, leaving a double legacy: the guitars, and the knowledge.
FAQ
Who was José Luis Romanillos?
A Spanish-British luthier (1932–2022) celebrated for the pure "Spanish sound" of his guitars and for his pioneering research into the instrument's history.
Who played his guitars?
Most famously Julian Bream, whose association with Romanillos helped make the maker's name internationally.
What did he write?
The definitive biography of Antonio de Torres and a major dictionary of Spanish instrument makers, both with his wife Marian Harris Winspear.
