A workshop on Calle San Fernando, a guitar for a friend
Miguel Rodríguez Beneyto was born on 1 July 1888 at Calle Fernando de Lara 4, according to the municipal register, and baptised at the church of San Lorenzo[5]. From 1906 he was building guitars in a workshop on Calle San Fernando[6].
One of his first successful guitars was made for his friend Antonio "El del Lunar", who played it at the popular Las Margaritas verbena in Córdoba on 26 August 1923[7]. A grandson, Rafael Rodríguez, remembers how the founder waved away questions about the unseen interior work with a single line: "I see it and that is enough"[8].
Alfaros 15 and the twins
By 1939 the founder was installed in the workshop at Calle Alfaros 15, and his twin sons were working there beside him[11]. Guitar Salon International names them as Rafael Rodríguez Serrano (1921–1965) and Miguel Rodríguez Serrano (1921–1998), the Miguel Jr. of the trade listings[10].
GSI's maker page calls José Rodríguez Álamo (1949–1996), known as Pepe, Miguel Jr.'s son and the fourth maker in that tree[12]. The same dealer calls the Miguel Jr. and Pepe years, the 1970s to 1998, perhaps the best-known phase[13], and that is where the Church Door name lives.
Pepe Romero, whose 1973 "La Wonderful" is the best-known Church Door, is quoted by the dealer: "What the jet engine did for aviation, the Rodríguez family did for the guitar."[14] The line comes second-hand, relayed by a seller rather than taken from an interview. Even so, it explains why Córdoba's guitarreros, the city's guitar makers, are still discussed far from Córdoba.
Three stories for one name
The door is the version that travels. Classic Guitars International passes on the legend of a century-old Andalusian church door whose wood supposedly soaked up the vibrations of organs and human voices[15], then admits it does not know whether that is myth or truth[16]. None of the listings reviewed names the church or the carpenter, or says when the name or any of its three explanations first appeared.
The second account drops the door altogether. Solera Flamenca, another dealer, writes that the name may be symbolic rather than literal, a nod to a wide, powerful sound that recalls the acoustics inside a church[17]. A third reading comes from Guitar Salon International's page for La Wonderful, which says the guitars are named for the cuts of rosewood used for backs and sides, set dramatically against yellow-ish sapwood[4].
The look, at least, is real. A listing for a Church Door once owned by Angel Romero describes back and sides that run from very strong yellow sapwood to darker, browner heartwood, a swirling texture no one would mistake for a plain set[18].
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The species is dealer-specific too. Guitar Salon International lists CSA rosewood for the 1973 La Wonderful[19], while Solera Flamenca lists Brazilian rosewood for a Church Door it places in 1968 at Alfaros Street[20][21], though Solera Flamenca dates most Church Doors to the mid-1970s[1].
Reading a Church Door listing
- Which origin story it tells, and who it credits for it
- The back-and-sides species, word for word
- The build date, and whether it fits the 1973 to mid-1970s start one dealer gives
- Whether the listing names Miguel Rodríguez the younger as the maker
Three guitars in 1996 and a remodelled workshop
In 1996 Pepe Rodríguez began a final set of three guitars, fell ill and died the same year. Miguel Jr. completed them and died himself in 1998[22].
Romero names keep turning up in the listings. Guitar Salon International says Angel Romero owned and played a Churchdoor for many years[23], and that La Wonderful was one of six guitars from Pepe Romero's personal collection shown at a showroom event on 1 June 2013[24].
Buyers chase them for the sound. Guitar Salon International says the look made Church Doors the top choice of collectors and performers[25], and that La Wonderful has been Pepe Romero's constant companion for an estimated 60 recordings[26]. Its listings describe a big, broad, lush sound with a flamenco-like response[27]; Solera Flamenca adds deep basses and clear trebles with very long sustain[28]. Classic Guitars International calls its Church Door a holy grail for Rodríguez lovers[29]. Solera Flamenca asked €32,000 for a 1968 Church Door, now marked sold with no sale date[30].
- 1 Jul 1888
Founder born
Miguel Rodríguez Beneyto, at Calle Fernando de Lara 4[5]
- 1906
First guitars built on Calle San Fernando
The start of his guitar-making[6]
- 26 Aug 1923
One of his first successful guitars played
At the Las Margaritas verbena[7]
- 1939
Twins working at Alfaros 15
Alongside their father[11]
- 1973
La Wonderful built
Pepe Romero's guitar, called the first and most famous Church Door by Solera Flamenca[1]
- 1996
Pepe Rodríguez dies
Miguel Jr. completes the last three guitars[22]
- 1998
Miguel Jr. dies
The last of the dealers' named makers[22]
- 2014
Family guitar sold
Per GSI's listing, to remodel the workshop at 15 Alfaros Street[31]
The address outlived both makers. According to a Guitar Salon International listing, a family-held 1968 guitar was sold in 2014 to remodel the family workshop, which the listing says is still located at 15 Alfaros Street[31]. Another Córdoba maker whose story reaches buyers through dealer listings is Manuel Reyes.
Where the trail leads in Córdoba
Pair this story with the Centro Flamenco Fosforito, the city's flamenco museum on Plaza del Potro.
Explore nearby · Museum
Centro Flamenco Fosforito
Córdoba's premier flamenco museum in the historic Posada del Potro. Interactive exhibits, seasonal Sunday recitals and bilingual displays for all ages.
Three ways to follow the thread:
- The museum itself, for the flamenco tradition the city's guitar makers worked beside
- The Fosforito flamenco recital, to hear the music live
- The history of flamenco in Córdoba, to read up on the patios and singers first
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The one physical trace the dealers name is an address, Calle Alfaros 15, where an undated listing says the family workshop still stands[31].
As for the name, the door, the sound and the wood cut each rest on a dealer's say-so. Until a church, a year or a carpenter turns up, the verifiable parts are the family tree and the grain of the wood.