Geert van Opstal

José Romanillos type

Romanillos’ guitars are famous for their great richness of sound. They have a broad spectrum, from deep basses to very clear trebles with beautiful “registers” in between.

In 2004 I learned the skills from José, his son Liam, and Gerhard Oldiges taught me the skills to make this type of guitar. I have made the Romanillos type in my workshop ever since.

Sound

My first concern for the guitars I build is the tone quality and richness of the spectrum. The sound must inspire you to explore your musical boundaries for many years to come. Of course my guitars also have good volume and playability. You can listen to them on the video page.

Bracing

There is an ongoing discussion about the sounboard of guitars. For my guitars, I have always opted for solid tops, simply because I love the sound of it. Having previously built harpsichords, I have found that symmetry is not a necessary principle for producing great sound. An asymmetric bracing improves the eveness of the tones along the fingerboard. You can hear the result in my guitars.

Names

All my guitars are named after women in my family. It is a nice way to honour them and to personalise the instruments.

Gitaar Nathalie Geert van Opstal

afbeelding Gitaar Saar