2023 Juan Hernandez, Model Magnifica, Concert Classical Guitar
2023 Juan Hernandez, Model Magnifica, Concert Classical Guitar
Make: Juan Hernandez
Model: Magnifica
Year: 2023
Serial Number 43
Signed: Handmade by Alberto Hernandez
Top: Canadian cedar double top with Nomex
Double Back & Sides: Indian Rosewood with Canadian cedar
Scale: 650mm
Nut: 52mm
Finish: Lacquer
Tuners: Gotoh
Upper bout: 280mm
Waist: 245mm
Lower bout: 370mm
Body length: 485mm
Soundhole: 90mm
Weight: 1695 gm
Made in: Spain
Condition: New
Location: Tucson, AZ
The Juan Hernandez Model Magnifica is a handmade double top concert classical guitar, showcasing meticulous craftsmanship. Its construction features a double top soundboard composed of two thin layers of premium Canadian western red cedar separated by a lightweight layer of Nomex. The double top is braced with traditional fan bracing, incorporating a Bouchet bar beneath the bridge. This technique enhances the guitar's resonance, responsiveness, and tonal complexity by allowing the soundboard to vibrate more freely. Consequently, the guitar boasts an expanded dynamic range, improved sustain, and a more complex tonal palette, along with increased volume and projection suitable for various playing environments.
The Model Magnifica displays a balanced blend of deep, resonant bass notes and clear, vibrant trebles, supported by a strong midrange presence. It can produce a broader range of overtones and harmonics, enriching its overall sound. Its innovative construction grants it great power, volume, and clarity, meeting the demands of guitarists. The double top design enables the soundboard to respond readily to the player's touch and provides greater control over dynamics, facilitating nuanced and expressive performances. Additionally, this design extends sustain and note decay, allowing notes to ring out with a pleasing resonance and gradually fade away, enhancing expressive phrasing and musicality.
Juan Hernandez Guitars was established by Juan Hernandez Iranzo. Born in 1948, Juan apprenticed in the Francisco Esteve workshop at the age of 15, eventually becoming a certified guitar maker and ascending to the position of production manager. In 2001, he established his personal workshop under the Esteve banner, crafting his own line of handcrafted classical and flamenco guitars. Following in his father's footsteps, Alberto Hernandez Monfort (born in 1979) began his apprenticeship at Esteve in 1994, swiftly achieving certification and joining his father's workshop. When Juan Hernandez stepped down, Alberto assumed the role of production manager at Esteve and became the head luthier of Juan Hernandez Guitars, personally crafting models that bear his signature.