Luca Santambrogio “Romanillos” Concert Classical Guitar
We are delighted to introduce this exceptional 2026 Luca Santambrogio “Romanillos” Model, a beautifully refined concert classical guitar inspired by the work and philosophy of José Luis Romanillos, one of the most influential guitar makers of the second half of the twentieth century.
Built by young Italian luthier Luca Santambrogio in Desio, near Milan, this instrument represents something particularly appealing: a contemporary guitar constructed with a profound respect for the great Spanish tradition, yet interpreted through the precision, sensitivity and meticulous attention to detail of a new generation of European lutherie.
And at only 1.36 kg / 2.998 lbs, its character is immediately apparent.
This is an extraordinarily light and responsive instrument.
The voice is warm, open and colourful, with deep, resonant basses providing a beautiful foundation beneath clear, direct trebles. A rich harmonic presence gives the instrument depth and complexity, while excellent separation allows individual voices to remain distinct through contrapuntal and polyphonic passages.
Perhaps most impressive is its sensitivity to the player.
The guitar responds beautifully to changes in attack, dynamics and right-hand position, offering a broad palette of tonal colours without losing definition or balance. From an intimate pianissimo to a more commanding concert voice, the instrument invites the guitarist to shape the sound rather than simply receive it.
The Val di Fiemme Italian spruce, lightweight Spanish construction, Indian rosewood body, distinctive Romanillos-inspired arches-and-columns mosaic, traditional V-joint, Alessi tuning machines and hand-applied shellac French polish complete an instrument in which musical and visual refinement go hand in hand.
A Contemporary Italian Tribute…Elegant, Responsive, Colourful & Deeply Spanish in inspiration…
Description
Specifications
New Concert Classical Guitar
Model “Romanillos”
N-16, Made in 2026
- Scale Length: 650 mm
- Nut Width: 52 mm
- Soundboard: Val di Fiemme Italian spruce
- Back & Sides: Indian rosewood
- Neck: Spanish cedar
- Fingerboard: Ebony
- Bridge: Indian rosewood
- Tie Block: 18 hole
- Tuners: Alessi tuning machines
- Finish: French polish shellac finishing
- Case: Hard shell case included
- Weight: 1.36 kg / 2.998 lbs
- Body Length: 48 cm / 19.09 inches
- Body Depth: 10.2 cm / 4.015 inches
- Upper Bout: 27.5 cm / 10.826 inches
- Lower Bout: 36.5 cm / 14.37 inches
The Romanillos Model — Lightness, Sensitivity & Colour
The philosophy behind this model begins with lightness.
Rather than viewing the individual components of the guitar in isolation, Santambrogio approaches their thickness, flexibility and interaction as parts of a complete vibrating system.
The final weight of just 1.36 kg is therefore more than an impressive number. It reflects the underlying philosophy of the instrument: reducing unnecessary mass and allowing the guitar to react freely and immediately to the player’s energy.
Santambrogio describes his Romanillos model as possessing deep, resonant basses alongside brilliant, direct trebles that retain the warmth associated with the Spanish sound. He also emphasizes harmonic richness, separation between voices and sensitivity to the guitarist’s touch.
Those qualities are fundamental to the personality of this N-16.
There is warmth without cloudiness, brilliance without hardness and harmonic complexity without sacrificing definition.
The result is a guitar that feels alive beneath the hands.
Val di Fiemme Italian Spruce — Clarity with Character
At the heart of the instrument is a beautiful Val di Fiemme Italian spruce soundboard.
Combined with Indian rosewood back and sides and the model’s lightweight construction, the spruce contributes to the instrument’s clarity, immediacy and dynamic sensitivity.
The bass register is deep and resonant, giving the guitar a strong foundation, while the trebles remain direct, clear and singing.
Between them lies a particularly rich harmonic spectrum.
This gives the guitarist considerable freedom to alter the instrument’s colour through touch and right-hand placement — moving naturally between warmer, rounder textures and more focused, brilliant articulation.
For repertoire requiring multiple independent voices, that separation becomes especially valuable: melodic lines can emerge without the accompanying voices collapsing into one another.
Arches & Columns — A Romanillos Signature
One of the most striking details of the guitar is found in its rosette.
The distinctive arches-and-columns mosaic is inspired by the celebrated colonnades of the Mezquita of Córdoba, whose repeating arches and columns form one of the most recognizable architectural spaces in Spain. Santambrogio identifies this motif as one of the iconic stylistic elements associated with Romanillos-inspired modern lutherie.
There is also a wonderful detail in the way Luca approaches its construction.
Following the example that inspires the model, the colours of the mosaic are created using the natural colours of different species of wood rather than dyed woods.
The result is much more than decoration.
It creates a visual connection between architecture and lutherie — repetition, proportion, structure and natural material brought together in miniature around the soundhole.
It is subtle from a distance and remarkably intricate when examined closely.
The V-Joint — Tradition Hidden in the Construction
Another fascinating feature of the Romanillos model is the traditional V-joint connecting the neck and headstock.
Santambrogio explains that José Luis Romanillos revived this historic technique after studying a guitar made by Hermann Hauser. Unlike a conventional scarf joint, the V-shaped construction creates an interlocking connection whose geometry is reinforced by string tension; because the joint does not run through the peghead slots, it also remains structurally continuous across its length. Santambrogio associates the construction with additional strength and sustain.
It is a beautiful example of the philosophy behind this guitar.
Some of its most important craftsmanship is not immediately visible.
The detail exists because the construction itself matters.
José Luis Romanillos — Inspiration Rather Than Imitation
This guitar should not be understood simply as an attempt to reproduce an old instrument.
Rather, the Romanillos model takes inspiration from the ideas that helped make José Luis Romanillos such an important figure in modern classical-guitar making: structural lightness, sensitivity, refinement of the traditional Spanish guitar and extraordinary attention to the relationship between material, structure and sound.
Santambrogio openly identifies Romanillos — alongside Antonio de Torres — as a central inspiration in his approach to traditional Spanish classical guitars. His current range includes dedicated Romanillos and Torres models, both grounded in lightweight Spanish construction and responsiveness to the player’s touch.
With this N-16, those historical ideas are interpreted by a contemporary Italian maker rather than treated as museum pieces.
That distinction gives the instrument its own identity.
Luca Santambrogio — A New Generation of Italian Lutherie
Luca Santambrogio was born and raised in Brianza, near Milan, an area strongly associated with Italian craftsmanship and design.
His path toward guitar making was not accidental.
After earning a degree in Industrial Design, Santambrogio sought a discipline in which design, material and handwork could become something tangible. That search eventually brought him to Milan’s Civic School of Lutherie, where he completed four years of study and graduated with full marks in 2022 under the guidance of master luthier Roberto De Miranda.
In 2023, through the Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte, he entered the Milan workshop of master luthier Marco Bortolozzo as an apprentice, further developing and refining his craft. Today, Santambrogio works from his own workshop in Desio, Brianza, where he builds, repairs and restores stringed instruments, specializing in concert classical guitars.
That background in industrial design remains particularly interesting when looking at his guitars.
Proportion, structure and visual detail are clearly important — but they are always placed in service of the instrument as a musical object.
Italian Craftsmanship — Spanish Inspiration
This 2026 Romanillos Model brings together two traditions beautifully.
There is the Spanish tradition represented by Romanillos: lightweight construction, responsiveness, warmth, natural materials and a guitar designed to communicate intimately with the player’s hands.
Then there is Santambrogio’s own Italian background in craftsmanship and design — expressed through precise execution, carefully considered details and a remarkably clean visual language.
The result does not feel like a historical replica.
It feels like a young maker engaging seriously with one of the great traditions of classical guitar making and asking how those principles can continue to live in a modern concert instrument.
And that is exactly what makes this guitar interesting.
A Remarkably Lightweight Concert Guitar
At 1.36 kg, this N-16 immediately distinguishes itself from many contemporary concert instruments.
But the significance lies not in lightness for its own sake.
The low mass contributes to a guitar that feels quick, sensitive and highly responsive, capable of reacting to extremely small variations in touch.
The player is given a wide dynamic and tonal vocabulary.
Push the instrument and it responds.
Reduce the attack and it becomes intimate.
Move the right hand and the colour changes.
That ability to translate the guitarist’s intentions into sound is ultimately one of the most important qualities a concert guitar can possess.
And this Romanillos Model has been conceived around precisely that relationship.
A beautiful contemporary interpretation of the Spanish tradition.
A must try.
Worldwide Availability
This exceptional 2026 Luca Santambrogio “Romanillos” N-16 is available through Grand Guitar Salon in Montréal, Canada.
For additional information, availability and international purchasing inquiries, please contact Grand Guitar Salon.
Worldwide shipping is available.
Photography
Please Note: These are the actual photographs of this guitar.
Additional information
| Weight | 12 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 115 × 51 × 21 cm |
