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.