Chartwell Guitar

2022 Juan Miguel Gonzalez cedar and Indian rosewood

Woods: western red cedar top, Indian rosewood back and sides. Spanish cedar neck.

Specs: 650mm scale, 52mm nut, 43mm string spacing at nut, 58mm at saddle. 4mm bass string height at 12th fret. Hard shell Milestones of Music case. Gotoh tuners.

Condition: as one would expect of a mostly new guitar, it is excellent. Minor nail marks in a  small area on the treble side of the top, along with another minor area of blemish in the gloss finish. Small button mark on the back. There appears to be an extremely faint line in the upper treble bout, running from the rosette. It will be cleated before a final sale.

Comment: I received this guitar in trade and had never played a Juan Gonzalez guitar or one by his father, Miguel Gonzalez Abad. This is an Almeria, Spain family linked to Torres through the Moya brothers,  close associates, who trained Juan’s father in his early years.

When I played the guitar I heard a typical high end Spanish traditional guitar, reminding me quite a bit of a Marin Montero cedar guitar recently passing through the shop. When I investigated the bracing I was stunned to see lattice, which accounts for the energy the guitar possesses. But in no way does the voice suggest lattice bracing. The lattice is very slight and seems to be either spruce or balsa, with no carbon fiber.

Another pertinent observation is the ease of playing. The guitar is somewhat lighter in weight and the left hand effort is perhaps the easiest of any guitars in the shop. I find the voice warm and creamy, very agreeable. This would be a fine choice for anyone considering a traditional build. This is his Concert model, which is the top of his line of guitars. The dealer who sold this guitar describes the sound as “duende,” which translates artistically to mean mysterious or chimerical, which is one way of describing the ineffable beauty of the classical guitar, and Spanish designs in particular.