These Valencia based factory churned out a lot of guitars
and the sentiment is there when I'm confessing these guitars
were instruments to have when I was young. So at last, this
was built at the end of the fifties, a little more deluxe model.
The 3 piece soundboard has the well known 3 brace strutting
used so often by Valencia based guitarreros. See for instance
the Salvador Ibanez guitar here above. Scale: 655 mm
Salvador Ibanez in fact sold his factory to Telesforo Julve.
And Julve provided Juan Estruch with parts and even
whole guitars around 1925. See the Estruch part in
this Blog and the typical "Julve" moves there.
As can be seen on this picture they stained this guitar
in order to have a rosewood like look but the strange
thing is: The sides could be of rosewood and maybe
even Brasilian rosewood though the back seems to be
made out of a dull piece of walnut. The spruce top is
not of top quality but European spruce anyway.
So, contrary of what is explained in the catalogues
of that time, they sometimes used woods that were
obtainable at some moment.
Along with the colouring of the soundbox the
factory decided to treat the fingerboard as well:
They stained it in a finally black colour in order
to simulate ebony. The wood used for this finger-
board however is very dense and hard. They
didn't had to be ashamed for using it! They
had large stocks of Cocobolo wood and that
has been used for a lot of fingerboards on the
TJ guitars. Alas, (and always on the cheaper
models) the copper fretwork!
This label states the factory was located at the
Convento S. Francisco, 4 and the addition of a 5 digit
telephone number makes it clear it has to be from before
1957. Just check the website Ton Bogaard made about
this maker. The number in the head confirms this year.
What really surprised me was the carving of the
vertical line in the middle. Normally this would
have been inlay work. Further the so called
pointed headform and not really symmetrical.
Bronze winder shafts as was common until
about 1960. After that year the use of plastic
shafts was introduced.
Simple, but good working tuners most likely ordered
from abroad instead of their own factory. Even the more
elaborate and ornamented guitars carry these fairly
simple tuners. The Valencian made guitars are mostly
not that securely built but one way or another I dig the
"honest" and direct sound they provide and besides
that this guitar colors beautiful when striked
at different spots on the strings.
What makes the Telesforo Julve guitars allmost
immediately recognizable are the two mother of
pearl stripes. They later replaced these stripes with
plastic ones. The roughly shaped bridge can be
studied by clicking on this picture. File traces are
on the bridge as well as the fingerboard. The bone
saddle has been replaced with an ivory one.
I already noticed a three piece soundboard on
more TJ guitars. One narrow centerpiece of about
10 cm and two bigger ones on the outer sides.
As for the bridge, TJ choosed not to place the
bridgebone in a slight angle: The whole bridge
has been placed under a slight angle! A method
that can be observed on most older Spanish
guitars, mostly from before 1940 /1950.
The heelform changed over time and is another item
to date these guitars. Presented here is the half round
heelform used between 1935 - 1960. The neckwood
hasn't been mated with a spruce heel which often is
the case. In fact a cheaper Valencian solution. The
inner heel block of this guitar definately is mahogany.
The sides have been lacquered a bit sloppy, after the
linings had been placed but that is restorable as can
be seen in the next picture. Cedar neck.
I made a small device in order to scrap away the excessive
stain. The bindings are much cleaner now. Being an instrument
that produces a beautiful tone I've decided to give it better
fretwork as well. Though produced in large quantities the
guitars from this factory are becoming more and more
collectable, the higher end models being more scarce.
Want to know more around this brand and in general
about the Valencia made guitars, just check this site:
www.guitarrasvalencia.wordpress.com
Telesforo Julve guitar 46 bis (Segovia model)
It doesn't happen that much: A higher end model that
has been offered for sale. As a "real" collector you
are always curious to learn what the differences are
between these ones and the more economic models.
In both the Dutch catalogues as well as the Telesforo
Julve description they are stating the woods to be rose-
wood but I can't confirm that sadly. More details appear
to be quite mediocre executed. This back has been
stained to give it a more luxury look but today
luthiers choose for more honest options.
The head has been finely veneered with a rosewood cap.
It could probably even be Brasilian as is the bridge. An-
other remarkable feature on TJ guitars is that the head
and neck are made out of one piece of wood which most
of the time hasn't been done by Spanish luthiers.
I like the head design but the neck feels a little bit chunky.
As most of the varnish has disappeared I can make corrections
on that aspect. And some new layers of varnish will do.
The tuners are also looking quite cheap and do not
distinguish themselves with the ones on the study
models. But they work real properly! Possibly
Telesforo Julve never made tuners themselves.
I've seen older Telesforo Julves that were equipped
with a rosewood body and more deluxe tuners so
I did a search to a similar solution and I found them
'Copied" from an early top of the line model.
And even on a more expensive model like this one the tuners
are not in par with the quality in sound this guitar provides.
Some details made another guitar collector, to whom I
showed it to, state it could possibly was built by Ricardo
Sanchis Nacher. The 19th fret, the rounded outer heel and
the bone / ivory cover on the string tie block. His guitars
were often equipped with the same kind of tuners. The
metal rollers, seen on most TJ guitars from before 1960
are present here. I've changed the tuners as this guitar
deserves it to be played, even in concert situations
Another feature that shouldn't be there on a "concert'
model is the sloppy way they coloured back and sides
Here and there simply on the bindings. Quite the opposite
is the refined inner woodwork and the shaping of
the parts used there e.g. the fan bracing.
A nice rosette that lost a bit of its' beauty as a result
from scratches on the lacquer of the soundboard.
As this kind of lacquer cristallizes it becomes real
vulnerable for nail scratches and the like. The sound-
board appears to be quite thin but the doomed top
explains a lot: By having a slightly bowed top it
becomes stronger to withstand stringtension and
a thinner top simply vibrates more. A lot of guitars
are executed with a doomed top and it explains why
the top between bridge and rosette hasn't collapsed.
A nicely executed bridge. Not the two TJ inlays in the
tieblock but all covered with a bone (ivory?) layer.
The latter could be a clue directing into the also Valencia
based luthier Sanchis Nacher who also studied in Madrid
and was a sideman for Jose Ramirez and even Domingo
Esteso among others. He also worked for TJ as has
been done by Vicente Tatay.
In the first half of the century it is known to me that
for the compensation of the octave notes (and the rest of
course) the bridges were placed in a slight angle on the
soundboard with some more compensation for the lower
strings. Later the bridgebone sleeve has been cut in a
slight angle. On this guitar the old method can be seen,
the bridge being glued somewhat lower on the left.
So this is not a sloppy action of this builder but intended!
The fingerboard certainly is rosewood and as opposed to the
cheaper models it was not stained black. But to refresh it, it
was necessary to have it shaved between each fret. The
frets on this guitar are not copper but a better quality wire.
Levelling of the frets is another thing on these guitars.
It has been done but rounding each fret afterwards simply
was too much time consuming but should be there on
a quality guitar
An extra crack in the soundboard came into the guitar after
an unlucky accident but as sides still close in a proper way
it will be possible to work in some glue and after that the
soundboard will be refinished having the rosette shining
again on this guitar!
The crack is all the way to the soundhole.... But after giving
a lot of comment on all kinds of details I must conclude that
after almost 70 years the neck is still perfectly straight as
is the soundboard. It is occupied with a 7 way fan bracing.
In spite of the chunky neck it plays nicely and as for
the sound: That is in another league as the student model
ones. A friendly woody tone with excellent sustain and
good volume came as a big surprise after taking a look at
first glance to this guitar. To be continued....
In a like new condition this guitar shines again but
necessary upgrades have been done now. The
relacquering took most of the time as you have to
polish between each layer of varnish. This guitar
being bigger corresponds with the description in
the ad from Van Wouw, the Dutch importer that
says "a very big model".
The back and sides were another must as the bindings
weren't that clean after a staining process of the back
and sides. A little bit sloppy done. The neck also
received some new layers of varnish after having been
shaved a bit as it was way too "chunky". Remarkable
of course is the 660 mm scale on this guitar. Also
the length of the body is 492 mm as opposed to the
483 mm of the student model here above.
The rosette in all its' beauty. Not that elaborate but
simplicity isn't always a worse thing to add.
Careful examination learns the spectator that there still is some
damage to be seen on the soundboard. Just below the left wing
of the bridge and some deep spots but making the soundboard
thinner by removing these small spots is something you must
not do. The gluing of the crack in the soundboard gave a
significant improvement in sound regarding the higher notes.
I've noticed the same sound result on a Jose Ramirez
clase 1A concert guitar further in this Blog.
The frets have been levelled and rounded and they look
like new again! The extended form of the fingerboard
can be studied here as well. Well suited for the more
demanding pieces. This guitar "colours" nicely once
striked at different spots along the strings.
The head with the rosewood cap on it is beautiful
in all its' simplicity and the new tuners are making
accurate tuning a piece of cake.
These tuners have much in common with the ones I found
on a first class Manuel Contreras so I thought them originally
to be from a Spanish manufacturer as these builders often
used the famous Fustero (Barcelona) tuners. The tuners
on this picture are from the far east but with superior
precision made. And a higher "gear": 1 : 18. Further
investigations learned that Robert Bouchet often used
these tuners on his concert instruments and for that reason
they are called "Robert Bouchet tuning machines".
A close up from the knobs that look a bit like ivory but in fact
are not of course. The nut on the first picture is genuine ivory.
When I'm having some more time I will make an attempt
to make these knobs out of ivory.
The heel on this Telesforo Julve is made out of hardwood
as opposed to some cheaper models. By using simple spruce
blocks you can speed up the process but it is simply a rather
poor solution.
The bindings of the soundboard are still beautiful and have
been done with care. Also the bindings are "sharp" again.
An odd thing for me to do is putting olive oil on the finger-
board but it colours almost like an ebony one!
Ironically the model of the newly added tuning knobs are
similar to the old tuner knobs on a thirties top of the line
Julve we recently discovered. That TJ was executed with
real rosewood and it had an ebony fingerboard. So these
tuners must be present on older Spanish guitars as well.
I've added this picture as you can "narrow" your research
regarding the age of an old TJ guitar. The misprinted tele-
phone number can be seen here as it goes through the
blue coloured leaves on the left and thus can be dated
from before 1959 / 1960. This misprinted label is
sticked in the guitar 46Bis presented here.
These numbers only are counting for the guitars coming
from the Dutch importer van Wouw. With its' number
9386 and an average imported number of guitars of
around 1300 instruments in those days this guitar can
be placed around 1958. To date a TJ it is wise to look
at the different details like label with its' address, a
specific heel shape, tuners with metal rollers a.s.o.
I'd like to add some information regarding the scale length
of the different TJ guitars in combination with the body
dimensions. Always interesting and possibly we can
discover a certain way of using molds or not? The scale
length of most student TJ appears to be 655 mm
46bis Guitar 1 Guitar 2 Guitar 3 St. model
here
Body Length 492 483 480 480 483
Width 1 282 270 268 266 270
Waist 238 230 230 230 232
Width 2 366 350 348 345 356
Presented here are some models from the Dutch importer
van Wouw. The 46bis is stated to be the "Segovia" model.
You can enlarge this picture by clicking on it. However the
text does not correspond with the picture! I think the guitar
in the middle to be the 46bis model! My TJ 46bis corresponds
the most with the guitar presented in the middle. More-
over the text states the 46bis to be a larger guitar!
And prices in Dutch guilders in a long gone Era!
1 Euro has the same value as 2,2 Dutch guilders.
You can enlarge this picture by clicking on it.
Want to know more around this brand and in general
about the Valencia made guitars, just check this site:
www.guitarrasvalencia.wordpress.com
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