Gerhard Oldiges, 2023

Once a year, Gerhard Oldiges builds a single guitar for no one but himself. At 68, he built this one — the only cypress guitar among six tributes to José Romanillos: the master he served beside, and the sound he spent a lifetime learning by heart.

Cypress was the wood Romanillos loved and wished he had used more, which makes this the most personal and unusual example of the set. Built in 2023 with a bear claw spruce top and cypress back and sides on a comfortable 640mm scale, it wears the unmistakable influence of the great Spanish master, from the elegant rosette to the fully appointed top.

Oldiges was not only a student of the famous Romanillos workshop but went on to become one of the master's assistants, and he has since mentored a generation of makers of his own, including the respected luthier Stefan Nitschke. Each year he completes just one special guitar and inscribes that year's age on the label — the "68" on the label marks this as that guitar, a rare and personal piece from the maker's own bench.

Specifications

Luthier: Gerhard J. Oldiges

Top: Bear claw spruce

Construction: Traditional, seven fan bracing

Strings: D'Addario XTC45FF with normal tension nylon first string
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Condition: Excellent, with a few tiny, almost unnoticeable marks

Sound & Playability

This is a guitar built for the Spanish character that defines the Romanillos school, and it rewards exploration. It is not a clinically even instrument in every register, and that is exactly its charm. There are special gems to discover as you move around the neck, colors and voices that reveal themselves in particular positions rather than a single uniform tone.

The trebles are a real highlight, singing and immediate, with certain notes that seem to give you goosebumps. The basses answer with real bite and authority, and yet the guitar can turn lush and sweet in an instant. It has the transparent, breathing, vocal quality players look for in a traditionally built concert guitar.

The 640mm scale, 10mm shorter than a standard 650, paired with a slightly narrower 51.5mm nut width and a thin, comfortable C shaped neck, makes the guitar remarkably easy to play. Bar chords, larger stretches, and the more demanding reaches all feel simple and fluid under the hand.

Construction & Design

Underneath the top is a traditional seven fan bracing pattern with a bridge patch, and the guitar is very lightweight. In Oldiges's own account, the aesthetic details are drawn from some of the final four guitars José Romanillos built, his celebrated Medio Siglo instruments, while the sound ideals are modeled on Julian Bream's 1973 Romanillos, the instrument Oldiges considers the quintessential example of the master's work.

The bear claw spruce top is in beautiful condition, its striking figure long prized by makers for the character it lends to the sound. It is finished with an elegant Romanillos rosette and refined purfling throughout. The cypress back and sides are a spectacular set, with a central back strip and matching purfling running around the body. The head carries the classic Romanillos motif, echoing both the rosette and the tie block, over a rosewood veneer, and the guitar is fitted with the finest German Scheller tuners.

About the Luthier

Gerhard J. Oldiges is a highly respected German luthier known for his traditional building. He was a close friend of José Romanillos for many years, and this small set of homage guitars was made in the master's memory. Writing about this instrument, Oldiges remembered Romanillos as "a great master and a very good friend for many years," and expressed his gratitude for the time he was able to spend with him and his family. That personal connection is part of what this guitar represents, a tribute from one maker to another, built with firsthand knowledge of the original work.

The guitar is in excellent condition, with only a few tiny, almost completely unnoticeable marks.