Francisco Simplicio, 1929

Few names in the world of classical guitar command the reverence of Francisco Simplicio. This 1929 example has lived in our own collection for several years, and it remains one of the most remarkable guitars we have ever owned, let alone played. Simplicio was a devoted heir to the work of Enrique Garcia, the celebrated Catalan luthier of Barcelona whose ornate instruments inspired generations of makers. Both men were cabinetmakers by trade before they turned to building guitars, and you can see that training in every detail here. This is a luthier’s luthier of a guitar, admired by so many and surviving in such small numbers that it is a real privilege to be able to share it.

This particular 1929 Simplicio formerly belonged to the Argentinian guitarist Lucía Sánchez Jordán, and it has had quite a life. It is simply one of the most stunning Simplicio guitars, or guitars of any kind, that we have played.

Specifications

Luthier: Francisco Simplicio
Year: 1929
Top: Spruce
Back & Sides: Cuban Mahogany
Construction: Traditional, eight fan bracing
Finish: French Polish
Scale Length: 646 mm
Nut Width: 50 mm
Neck: C shape, rather thin
Action: Very low
Tuners: Original
Includes: Original nut and saddle (new set currently installed)
Provenance: Formerly owned by Argentinian guitarist Lucía Sánchez Jordán
Strings: D’Addario XTC45FF with normal tension nylon first string
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Condition: Excellent for its age, with several stable crack repairs on the top and back

Sound

You have probably heard us talk about the sound of Garcia and Simplicio when discussing other Barcelona makers of the past, like Ignacio Fleta. Play a few notes on this guitar and you immediately recognize that this is the source. It has the richest of sounds, with every note filling that pocket of richness you hope for from any instrument. No one would call a Simplicio among the loudest guitars, yet you may be surprised by how much sound this one emits, and even more by how it carries. Several players who have handled it have made the same remark about its projection. Every note feels whole and pushes out of the instrument, with no thinness anywhere, in any register.

There is a regality in the basses and a humming quality that we find characteristic of only the greatest makers. You do not even need the bass strings to hear that creamy old world sound; three treble notes are enough. The sustain invites the most expressive vibrato, the second string is to die for, and the third is intimate yet clear. The basses, on a guitar you might expect to be gentle, have real bite, and they keep on giving the harder you push. The fifth string is alike in character with the fourth, and the sixth has a depth that is pure Simplicio. You could probably identify this guitar from the sixth string alone.

Playability

The scale length is 646 mm with a 50 mm nut width, a touch smaller as you find on many Simplicio guitars and incredibly comfortable to play. The action is very low, and the neck is a rather thin C shape. Tuned down a quarter step from concert pitch, the guitar sounds more relaxed and more willing to bloom.

Construction & Design

You are first struck by the beautiful spruce top and the extraordinary ornamentation around it. The iconic Simplicio rosette, copied and admired by countless makers, is joined by equally intricate purflings and a tie block that together display the most complex woodworking and artistry. Beneath the top is an eight fan bracing with very thin braces over a very thin top, and the guitar truly speaks when you play it.

Turn the guitar over and the set of Cuban mahogany glows. Down the center of the back runs a decorative strip that echoes the patterns on the front, with subtle differences in design and color. The headstock is the star of the show, a completely hand carved and engraved design that is unique to this instrument. No two Simplicio heads are the same, and this iconic shape is one of the finest engravings we have come across on his work. It wears its original tuning machines, which tie to small pegs rather than passing through a hole, exactly as you find on most Garcia and Simplicio guitars, and they carry a gorgeous patina. You truly feel like you are holding a work of art.

About the Luthier

Francisco Simplicio was the most important successor to Enrique Garcia, the famed Catalan luthier of Barcelona. Garcia built some of the most ornate instruments of his era, and Simplicio carried that tradition forward, in some ways surpassing his teacher in popularity and winning many exhibitions with his guitars. His instruments are treasured today both as supreme examples of the cabinetmaker’s art and as some of the most characterful voices in the Spanish tradition, a lineage that runs directly into makers like Ignacio Fleta. So few survive that each one that appears is an event.

This guitar is nearly a hundred years old and, as with most lightly built Garcia and Simplicio instruments, it has several repaired cracks on the top and back. They are very stable and at times hard to notice. In July 2022, a luthier revisited several of the old crack repairs and made a new nut and saddle, with the originals included. The top, back, sides, tuners, and headstock are all original. Despite its age, the guitar requires no work and plays beautifully.