Every Romanillos is a treasure, and "La Veinte Uno" is a treasure among those treasures, one of those really special Romanillos guitars that exceeds even the highest expectations. Liam was particularly excited about this guitar and after he completed the instrument and strung it up for the first time he had a hard time restraining his pleasure with this guitar. Of course that perked up my usual level of excitement to an even higher level. Finally it arrived, Liam had been working painstakingly on this guitar for more than two months and was expending every effort and skill at his disposal it seemed. When I opened the case once it arrived my eyes were, as always, instantly drawn to gaze at that most beautiful and iconic of rosette's. Yeah, know I say that every time, and every time it is absolutely true. For those of us who love the guitar, a gorgeous rosette is like a fine painting, you can just stare at it seemingly forever. As you know by now, it is based on an artistic interpretation of the classic moorish arches in the Mezquita in Cordoba Spain, which you recognize immediately if you have ever had the good fortune to see them with your own eyes. The level of craftsmanship is stunning, from the perfectly executed 4 piece back, to the detail on the tie block, even the glue joints inside, everything just perfect. When I sit down to play her for the first time, I feel like a kid at christmas about to open a special gift, and after playing the first few notes, I can't help but grin as that beautiful and very familiar 'Romanillos character' floats gently out of the guitar. She is sweet, musical, enchanting, subtle. Listen to this recent video of Japanese artist Kaori Muraji, playing her new Romanillos guitar built by Liam showcases the beauty of these guitars, you can see/hear her Romanillos on this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGT83feJTQI. While I am not a fan of sound clips or videos for the purposes of evaluating a guitar, this video does give you a vague sense of what a fine Romanillos has to offer.

I have had the distinct pleasure of hearing several of my clients new Romanillos guitars after they have been played in for a year or two and the evolution of these guitars in that sense is highly pleasing. Like all new Spruce guitars, they need to play in to be fully appreciated, but I think the old hand cleft Spruce with no run out at all just gives these guitars a distinct advantage in that department. The open up just beautifully. This is an intimate guitar with a definite nod to her Spanish inspiration, that rewards the player who values subtlety and beauty. A fine Romanillos, once again....

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