“La Medio Siglo” is played on the album by Antigoni in Marieta and Canço del lladre.

 

This guitar was made in collaboration with José’s wife Marian Harris Winspear to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their marriage, hence the name “La Medio Siglo” – a half century, and was considered by José to be the best guitar he had ever made. 

 

The guitar features a 4-piece top of partly unmatched pieces of Spruce (Picea excelsa) with irregular grain and a slight wavy “Bearclaw” figure on all 4 parts, and the “Arches of the Mezquita” motive on the rosette.

 

The back is made of Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) from 4 pieces with the joint nearly invisible and a decorative strip of inlays in the centre joint. The 4-piece ribs are also from Rosewood and as in “La Rosa” the wood for the back and sides was originally intended for smaller instruments.

 

The neck, as well as the head, are lengthwise glued up from curly “flamed” Spanish Cedar (Cedrela odorata) and joined to the head in a so-called V-joint. The front of the head is plated with 2 pieces of book-matched Laburnum wood of prominent figure with a central decorative strip and banded all around to the outside with a strip of Ebony.

 

The guitar was played by the Spanish guitarist Carles Trepat for the soundtrack of the film documentation “Romanillos -Guitarrero” by David Herranz, 2015.

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Copyright text © Gerhard Oldiges