Manuel Velazquez Classical Guitar (1955)
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Item #13819
Manuel Velazquez Classical Guitar (1955), made in New York City, serial # 153, French polish finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, cedar top, Spanish cedar neck with ebony fingerboard, period black hard shell case.
This truly superb world-class classical guitar is the work of one of 20th century New York's most renowned luthiers, Manuel Velazquez. It was built in 1955, labeled "Manuel Velazquez, Constructor de Guitarras, New York." The elegantly simple label is hand signed by Velazquez and also has the date, "ano 1955", written by hand in brown ink. The guitar also has hidden signatures on the underside of the top, off each side of the fingerboard extension.
Manuel Velazquez was born in February 1917, in Manati, Puerto Rico, the twelfth of 13 children. His foray into woodworking began as an adolescent, working in his older brother's furniture shop. The workshop also fabricated cuatros, which became the catalyst for Manuel's interest in building guitars. He completed his first guitar at age 16; shortly after, he showed one to Jorge Rubiano, conductor of a large string orchestra. Impressed, Rubiano ordered two for the orchestra and soon became a source of encouragement and valuable critique. Thanks to Rubiano, a few orders began to come Manuel's way.
Rubiano also urged him to see Segovia in concert. Hearing Segovia's 1937 Hauser had a profound effect on Velazquez; it would become the standard reference of the instrument for the rest of his life. Thanks to Rubiano he was able to also analyze guitars by Antonio de Torres and Santos Hernandez, using them as references for his own instruments.
In 1940 he moved to New York, working as a cabinet maker and joiner and as a carpenter in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. His first New York-made guitar was finished in 1942, made from Brazilian rosewood mess hall tables reclaimed from a sunken troop ship dismantled at the Navy Yard.
In 1948 after years of building on his kitchen table, Manuel established his first NYC workshop at 420 Third Avenue. Through the 1950s, he almost single-handedly maintained the tradition of European classical guitar making in the United States, producing over a thousand purely handmade instruments.
It was in this time period that he hit his stride as a builder, soon recognized by the New York City Classical Guitar Society as the only luthier in the United States qualified to work on Torres and Hauser instruments. This paired with Segovia's endorsement, catapulted his reputation into the stratosphere. In time Vladimir Bobri, Rey de la Torre, Saul Marantz, The Haines Bros., Alexander Bellows, Noah Wolfe, and more would come to know and recommend him as one the finest guitar makers in the world. Velazquez guitars have since that time been highly regarded for their elegance in tone quality, sustain and playability, achieved with critical selection and calibration of materials designed in the tradition of Torres, Hauser, and Santos Hernandez.
This beautiful Velazquez concert guitar is from that period, built in his traditional Hauser mode. The spruce top has a lovely bearclaw figuring, with grain so tight it would make C.F. Martin blush. The back and sides are made of some of the darkest, most chocolatey colored Brazilian rosewood we have seen, also with a very fine tight grain. All bindings and trim are wood.
The Spanish cedar neck has a 51mm nut width and a 650mm scale with a fairly typical flat "D" profile and is very comfortable to play. The rosewood-faced headstock has a simple round-peaked profile reminiscent of the Hauser design, and the tuners appear to be "fishscale" Landstorfer with Amberlin buttons. The sound is woody and very rich with considerable volume and clarity, and responds to a light touch while being capable of a wide dynamic range if forced. This is a particularly lovely, early example of the work of one of the later 20th century's most esteemed luthiers, a worthy instrument for the master player.
Overall length is 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm.), 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 2 1/8 in. (54 mm.).
This lovely guitar shows some general wear overall from use over the decades but remains a superb instrument to play. There are finger marks into the top finish near the bottom, bass side of the rosette, as well as the bottom treble side which extend towards the waist of the guitar, and both sides of the fingerboard extension. There are also some scratches near the top treble side corner of the bridge.
There is a repaired center seam split the extends from the rosette down to the end of the guitar - this has been glued and is stable. There is also a crack just under the low E string that extends from the rosette down to the front end of the bridge. There is an impact mark on the bass side of the waist, near where it meets the top. There is a chip in the rosewood face of the headstock, near the edge of the center peak, as well as a minor scratch in the backside of the headstock. There are various visible but minor dings in the back and sides.
The back of the neck shows little to no wear, seemingly having seen not too much playtime in the last 70+ years. Despite this, it is an incredible sounding instrument. Overall, this is a lightly played instrument with some minor repairs, a really super example of Sr. Velazquez's best work with some of the nicest quality wood we've ever seen. A wonderful instrument to play, hear or appreciate, it also stands as an important piece of guitar history, particularly as related to the traditions of both Puerto Rico and New York. The guitar resides in a nice period hardshell case, not a perfect fit but they appear to have been together since the 1950s. Inside are a beautiful hand-made 19th century style capo and an interesting collection of Nylon string packages from the 1950s and '60s. Overall Very Good + Condition.
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This truly superb world-class classical guitar is the work of one of 20th century New York's most renowned luthiers, Manuel Velazquez. It was built in 1955, labeled "Manuel Velazquez, Constructor de Guitarras, New York." The elegantly simple label is hand signed by Velazquez and also has the date, "ano 1955", written by hand in brown ink. The guitar also has hidden signatures on the underside of the top, off each side of the fingerboard extension.
Manuel Velazquez was born in February 1917, in Manati, Puerto Rico, the twelfth of 13 children. His foray into woodworking began as an adolescent, working in his older brother's furniture shop. The workshop also fabricated cuatros, which became the catalyst for Manuel's interest in building guitars. He completed his first guitar at age 16; shortly after, he showed one to Jorge Rubiano, conductor of a large string orchestra. Impressed, Rubiano ordered two for the orchestra and soon became a source of encouragement and valuable critique. Thanks to Rubiano, a few orders began to come Manuel's way.
Rubiano also urged him to see Segovia in concert. Hearing Segovia's 1937 Hauser had a profound effect on Velazquez; it would become the standard reference of the instrument for the rest of his life. Thanks to Rubiano he was able to also analyze guitars by Antonio de Torres and Santos Hernandez, using them as references for his own instruments.
In 1940 he moved to New York, working as a cabinet maker and joiner and as a carpenter in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. His first New York-made guitar was finished in 1942, made from Brazilian rosewood mess hall tables reclaimed from a sunken troop ship dismantled at the Navy Yard.
In 1948 after years of building on his kitchen table, Manuel established his first NYC workshop at 420 Third Avenue. Through the 1950s, he almost single-handedly maintained the tradition of European classical guitar making in the United States, producing over a thousand purely handmade instruments.
It was in this time period that he hit his stride as a builder, soon recognized by the New York City Classical Guitar Society as the only luthier in the United States qualified to work on Torres and Hauser instruments. This paired with Segovia's endorsement, catapulted his reputation into the stratosphere. In time Vladimir Bobri, Rey de la Torre, Saul Marantz, The Haines Bros., Alexander Bellows, Noah Wolfe, and more would come to know and recommend him as one the finest guitar makers in the world. Velazquez guitars have since that time been highly regarded for their elegance in tone quality, sustain and playability, achieved with critical selection and calibration of materials designed in the tradition of Torres, Hauser, and Santos Hernandez.
This beautiful Velazquez concert guitar is from that period, built in his traditional Hauser mode. The spruce top has a lovely bearclaw figuring, with grain so tight it would make C.F. Martin blush. The back and sides are made of some of the darkest, most chocolatey colored Brazilian rosewood we have seen, also with a very fine tight grain. All bindings and trim are wood.
The Spanish cedar neck has a 51mm nut width and a 650mm scale with a fairly typical flat "D" profile and is very comfortable to play. The rosewood-faced headstock has a simple round-peaked profile reminiscent of the Hauser design, and the tuners appear to be "fishscale" Landstorfer with Amberlin buttons. The sound is woody and very rich with considerable volume and clarity, and responds to a light touch while being capable of a wide dynamic range if forced. This is a particularly lovely, early example of the work of one of the later 20th century's most esteemed luthiers, a worthy instrument for the master player.
Overall length is 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm.), 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 2 1/8 in. (54 mm.).
This lovely guitar shows some general wear overall from use over the decades but remains a superb instrument to play. There are finger marks into the top finish near the bottom, bass side of the rosette, as well as the bottom treble side which extend towards the waist of the guitar, and both sides of the fingerboard extension. There are also some scratches near the top treble side corner of the bridge.
There is a repaired center seam split the extends from the rosette down to the end of the guitar - this has been glued and is stable. There is also a crack just under the low E string that extends from the rosette down to the front end of the bridge. There is an impact mark on the bass side of the waist, near where it meets the top. There is a chip in the rosewood face of the headstock, near the edge of the center peak, as well as a minor scratch in the backside of the headstock. There are various visible but minor dings in the back and sides.
The back of the neck shows little to no wear, seemingly having seen not too much playtime in the last 70+ years. Despite this, it is an incredible sounding instrument. Overall, this is a lightly played instrument with some minor repairs, a really super example of Sr. Velazquez's best work with some of the nicest quality wood we've ever seen. A wonderful instrument to play, hear or appreciate, it also stands as an important piece of guitar history, particularly as related to the traditions of both Puerto Rico and New York. The guitar resides in a nice period hardshell case, not a perfect fit but they appear to have been together since the 1950s. Inside are a beautiful hand-made 19th century style capo and an interesting collection of Nylon string packages from the 1950s and '60s. Overall Very Good + Condition.
