Juan Gómez
(with tooth rosette)

This is a pre Civil War Spanish Soprano from Juan Goméz of Barcelona, (if he was ever a real person?) I'm very interested to compare this with my José Alvaréz, (who we know was not a real person, just a branding). I have long suspected that they were both made by the same factory because most of the examples I have seen look very much identical? I can see that there is a bit of a comparison issue here as it looks like this Goméz has had its golpeador removed, (hence the black above the sound hole), but in many ways this is good because my Alvaréz doesn't have a golpeador either, (I suspect it did have once but there is far less evidence that it was there, due the the emulsion paint when I got it hiding and then removing any trace as I had to strip it right back to the wood). 

It's here now and it really does look like it did have a golpeador once, but with the blackness on the top half of the sound hole, and I'm not quite sure what it is? It's not scorching which I first thought from the photos, but it seems a bit rough and crackled for paint unless it's something like Hammerite, (or maybe some kind of old glue?) Whatever it is, it's too thick to see if the rosette continues round the sound hole underneath. From what I can see though, I can see its a different rosette, a different bridge and the José Alvaréz has a 12th fret whereas this hasn't; and never has had one, so my guess now is they are not from the same maker. If they are then it's not the same model just with different branding. I will have to do something about the nut next as that has fallen off; and I should try and get that nasty black stuff off before I restring it too.