Hernandez y Aguado – 1959 No. 154

Description

The two friends Santiago Diaz Martinez, better known as Manuel Hernandez, and Victoriano Aguado Rodriguez got to know each other while working together in a piano factory. After the factory closed, they founded their own company that initially focused on the restoration of furniture and pianos. They built their two first guitars privately between 1945 and 1948, which were also played and examined by Regio Sainz de la Maza. This was a very encouraging experience and the two friends decided to keep on building guitars. In 1948 Modesto Borreguero, who had worked in the workshop of the famous luthier Manuel Ramirez, joined Manuel Hernandez and Victoriano Aguado Rodriguez, and they started to increasingly focus on the making of guitars – with huge success. Famous artists, such as John Williams, Julian Bream, and Atahualpa Yupanqui played „HyA“guitars. With a total production of only 356 guitars, Hernandez y Aguado instruments are among the rarest and most sought-after guitars made in the twentieth century.

What a wonderful guitar. This 1959 concert model by Hernandez y Aguado is exceptional in every way. It has been extremely well maintained and is entirely original (tuners, nut, varnish, fingerboard, etc.). The renowned guitar maker Gabriele Lodi has skillfully repaired three tiny cracks on the top and two hairline cracks on the back, which are now barely visible. With an air resonance frequency between E and F, this guitar has a deep and incredibly charismatic personality. Its sound is reminiscent of the great Santos Hernandez guitars of the 1930s, and it is not unlikely that Hernandez y Aguado were inspired by the Santos Hernandez guitars owned by Regino Sainz de la Maza when crafting this instrument. The airy yet complex trebles of this guitar harmonise excellently with the rich, velvety basses and thus embody the essence typical of Spanish guitars of the 1950s.