Francisco Simplicio – 1928

Description

Francisco Simplicio (1874-1932) started his cabinet-making apprenticeship in Masriera & Vidal’s workshop at a very young age. He worked as a cabinet-maker for nineteen years before he was forced to close his workshop in 1917, due to the political disorders of that time. Being unemployed, Simplicio entered the workshop of his long-time friend, the now Famous Enrique Garcia, as an assistant. When Enrique Garcia died in 1922, Simplicio took over his workshop and kept building guitars under Enrique Garcia’s name for three years. Francisco Simplicio was an extraordinarily gifted luthier and an eminent Barcelonian modern artist. The carved headstock of his guitars, as well as the elaborated purflings, are testimonials of his woodworking talent. Francisco Simplicio built 336 guitars under his name between 1922 and 1932. With their one-of-a-kind art-deco look, rich marquetry details, and graceful voice, Francisco Simplicio’s instruments undeniably rank among the greatest Spanish guitars of all time.

What a charismatic and bewitching guitar. This particular example is fantastically preserved, with only some mild marks on the varnish. It is free of cracks. Solely a minor repair was made on the binding nearby the fretboard a long time ago. To the purists’ delight, it is still fitted with its original Tornavoz, and honestly, it sounds incredible. With a soundboard thickness between 2.2 mm and 2.4 mm, it has a dense precise and rounded tone, not on the boomy side but rather focussed and singing. This guitar is an authentic piece of history, but most of all, a spectacular instrument ready to be played on stage or for recordings.