“La Rosa” is played on the album by Antigoni Goni in Rosita, La filadora, La fill del rey, and Danza Española no. 2 ‘Oriental’ and by Luca Isolani in Valses Poeticos.

 

This guitar was made as a dedication to José’s youngest and favourite sister ‘Rosa’ whom he affectionately named ‘Rosita’ and who sadly died at the age of 59 from cancer. She was “a lovely, sparkly woman that sang along to everything she did and who left too soon!”

 

On the old-style label the printed location is “Semley. Wilts.” which was erased and replaced by a handwritten “Guijosa”, with the name of the guitar “La Rosa”, in the upper centre along with the signature of Jose.

 

The soundboard is medium wide, straight grained and made of 4 symmetrical book-matched pieces of spruce (Picea excelsa) with a rosette in the well-known Romanillos design reproducing the arches of the great Mosque, “Mesquita”, in Córdoba.

 

The 4-piece back and the 4-piece ribs are from a Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) which was originally obtained from a specialised sawmill in Valencia as sets of 4 boards prepared and cut for smaller instruments like the Spanish Bandurria od Laud. Hence the use of 4 pieces for the back and the ribs as well. 

 

Due to the straightness of the material both on top and back the joints between the four pieces of wood are nearly invisible.

 

The neck is made from Spanish Cedar (Cedrela odorata), joined to the head, also from Spanish Cedar,  with a decorated headplate in Rosewood in a so-called V-joint.

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Copyright text © Gerhard Oldiges