Classical Guitars: 1953 Modesto Borreguero Ortega (1901-1969)
Fabricated for Casa Garrido in Madrid
$16,000
655 mm Scale, 53 mm Nut. Domed Fine to Medium grain Spruce Soundboard and Cuban Mahogany back and sides. 5 Fan Braces. Original French Polish.
According to Modesto's son Enrique, his father was born in 1901, not 1893 as everyone quotes from the Jose Romanillos biography in "The Vihuela and The Spanish Guitar" published in 2002. Enrique Borreguero Marcos also was a journeyman guitar maker who worked for Jose Ramirez from 1971-1984, with the initials EB on the Spanish Heel. His father's birth date reference is from page 70 of the hardcover book: "Guitarreros de Madrid. Artesanos de la prima y el bordón". by Luis F. Leal Pinar, published in 2008.
Some months ago I added newspaper clippings of a 1927 and 1930 search for a worker by Modesto Borreguero. Those images can be found on this website at: http://finefretted.com/instrument_detail.php?i=681
Constructed 10 years after the passing of Santos Hernandez (1874-1943), since 1913 Modesto Borreguero had worked at the side of that maestro of guitar making, as well as next to Domingo Esteso (1882-1937), all three of these legendary guitar builders having worked for the Manuel Ramirez (1864-1916) workshop, and he worked for the widow until 1924. Then he opened his shop on calle Duque Fernan Nuñez 5, Madrid (today it is No. 17.), and decades later rented some space from Hernandez y Aguado from 1948-1952. They were furniture makers and polishers. Their interest in making guitars was aroused by watching Modesto Borreguero fabricate high quality instruments, so he instructed them in how to make better instruments, as they had been making guitars since 1941. In the mid 1960's John Williams recorded an LP with one of their guitars, then they became legends as well. To quote my friend and colleague, Richard Bruné: "Modesto Borreguero gave us Hernandez y Aguado." After leaving the location of Hernandez y Aguado, he went on to build guitars exclusively for the Casa Garrido Music Store in Madrid and continued working until 1963. He also trained Vicente Perez Camacho to make guitars. In 1990 I had a high quality Vicente Camacho Requinto come through my store. Modesto Borreguero also made many guitars that were exported to South America, especially Argentina.
This 70 year old guitar we offer here was made after Modesto Borreguero had been making guitars for 40 years.
The late Felix Manzanero owned 4 guitars in his collection of almost 100 instruments by Modesto Borreguero from the years: 1931, 1947, 1950 and 1956.
