Classical Guitars: 1852 Agustin Altimira Codina Barcelona SOLD

Agustin Altimira Codina (1805-1882)

please inquire for price

650 mm Scale 52 mm Nut Very fine grain to Medium grain Spruce soundboard, supported by 3 finely sanded Fan Braces, Solid Brazilian Rosewood sides and Spruce interior on the back, that was very common at the time throughout Europe, Pine neck, Straight Rosewood fingerboard. Original Brass Bar frets. Brazilian Rosewood Peghead Overlay, Pegs are Ebony with Bone tips-they work well as seen in the video. Weight 1,035 grams, 37 ozs.=2 lbs. 5 ozs.

Looking with a black light over the Altimira, the top-though it doesn't look like it - has an added clear varnish, French Polished whatever decades ago, the back and sides do not have any added varnish, they are just as Agustin did the work.

Restored by Marcelino Lopez Nieto (1931-2018)

This Guitar was displayed in the 2010 Exposition in Madrid "Guitarras del Imperio", and on page 93 in the book of the same name.

Miguel Llobet also owned an Altimira guitar, quite fancier and made before Agustin was at this location, calle Escudillers (spelling on the label of Llobet's instrument-Escudellers in Catalan), 43 Barcelona, where Agustin also fabricated his Violins, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses-I have included photos of these violins and basses from 1850, I have also included a view of Llobet's guitar and its label.

According to Domingo Prat’s "Diccionario de Guitarristas" published in 1934, at least six of Francisco Tarrega’s colleagues and students, such as Miguel Llobet, knew about and bought guitars from the Altamira workshop: Baldomero Cateura (Bandurrista), Federico Cano (who wrote the “Andante”, dedicated to Agustin Altimira, and published the year after he passed away, see photo) and guitar collector Mario Palmes all owned Altimira guitars-one of his was restored by Enrique Garcia in 1916. Mario Palmes also owned the 1856 Antonio de Torres that won the Bronze Medal in the Seville Exhibition in 1858. Antonio Mestres, “Diccionario de Guitarristas” by Prat page 204, dedicated a song “Elegia” to Agustin, also being mentioned in a 1914 publication "La Guitarra, su construccion y su musica" by Fernando Mestre and published by Utiel-No typos on the names, these are as listed in the “Diccionario de Guitarristas." The Agustin Altimira guitar offered here was fabricated the year Francisco Tarrega was born.