Soren Venema (Palm Guitars - Amsterdam)

 

                                      Just read the news that Soren Venema died much 

                                    too early in februari of this year (2021) Me and my 

                                       wife have very fond memories of a weekend in 

                                          Vichy together with him, visiting the Vichy 

                                        Auctions. Of course Soren had his source to buy 

                                      his stuff. "It all comes down to knowledge' is what 

                                      he always stated. "Try to get information from any 

                                         source and judge that with  your own common 

                                                                       sense." 

                      

                                         Moreover, we had a nice weekend there in the 

                                         beautiful city of Vichy, talking about business, 

                                       interesting instruments and we had a fine dinner 

                                          with conversation together. At the end of the 

                                        weekend he wished us good luck in  driving all 

                                        the way back to the Netherlands, giving with us 

                                         several instruments he bought there. "You have 

                                        to go for another 850 kilometres and I'm driving 

                                        to Clermont Ferrand to catch my plane and I will 

                                        be smoking a sigar at home while you people are 

                                         struggling to come back to the Netherlands". On 

                                         the moment of return it rained a lot in Vichy but 

                                          it was snowing in Clermont Ferrand so no plane 

                                          to catch back to the Netherlands. He generously 

                                             stated that. Being locked up in the South of 

                                                  France while we were already at home. 

  

                                            It characterizes his person being honest about 

                                                these details. Also still being excited about 

                                               meeting Candy Dulfer and her Father Hans 

                                               Dulfer in his shop in Amsterdam where we 

                                               finished some business we did together. We 

                                            were shocked to hear this news as a wonderful 

                                                    person left us! May he rest in peace.

Who's still in business and who is not. 2018

I recently visited Granada and in particular the Realejo district
where several guitar builders are situated. For example Rafael
Moreno Rodriguez who is 65 now and still is in business. And
together with him was Jose Lopez Bellido among others. He
stopped making guitars,  not really enthousiast about making them
anymore. I've asked how Juan Roman Padilla was doing. Well, they
said, it is really an old man now, stumbling behind a rollator. It
was a good thing from John Ray to add him to the still living luthiers.
Quite the opposite is Antonio Marin Montero who still is going
strong and still in business as he is still building guitars with Jose 

Marin Plazuelo. Allmost a miracle as he must be about 85 years
old now (he was born in 1933) Mr. Montero shares his workshop
with his son in law, Mr. Plazuelo. They both are concentrating 

on building guitars as the dust on the windows must have seen
the beginning and end of the second world war.

As John Ray's shop is quite close I paid him a visit as well. He
allways shares a lot of knowledge in his articles concerning what is
going on in Granada and in particular what interests him about all

kind of old school guitar builders besides of course the newer ones.
I showed him the odd modelled Juan Gomez Ramirez from 1917
I have in my posession.

At the end of 2018 the news came to us that Juan Roman Padilla has
passed away. Granada is a big city but the guitar builders alll know each
other and everyone will remember this modest luthier in his or her
own way....

The corner where Antonio Marin Montero is situated.

He was closed and you can try to have a look through the 

windows but it won't make you any wiser.... Gil de Avalle

is not far from there and he holds some interesting guitars

in his collection, including old Jose Ramirez instruments.

And of course the small shop from Casa Ferrer situated

at the Cuesta de Gomerez. I'm wondering how often they

have to hang another guitar outside the shop in 1 year...

On the corner with the Calle Animas Guitarreria Bitar

is situated. Good guitars allready for a reasonable price

built by hand through various workers. But the

the handbuilt ones built by the master luthier 

Ayman Bitar remains another story.