New partnership with KMC

Manuel Rodriguez Guitars the renowned 110-year old crafter of the iconic Spanish guitars known around the world as a central contributor to “Brand Spain,” today announced the appointment of KMC Music to distribute exclusive models of Manuel Rodriguez guitars to its network of 6,000 resellers in United States, making it possible for dealers to offer their customers the greatest range of Rodriguez models in the company’s history.

“Our partnership with KMC Music is going to make it possible for more consumers than ever before to experience the beauty, the craftsmanship, and the unique performance characteristics of a Manuel Rodriguez guitar, regardless of the collection and model they choose,” said Manuel Rodriguez III, the third-generation CEO of Manuel Rodriguez Guitars.

In accepting the appointment, KMC Music Vice President of Merchandising Roger Hart emphasized, “It is an honor to represent this storied line of classical Spanish guitars, which has, for more than 110 years, maintained the very highest standards of design, materials, and construction. Indeed, each and every Rodriguez guitar, handcrafted in Toledo, Spain, carries within it the very essence of Spanish history and culture. Our dealers will be equally thrilled to be able to present the Rodriguez collections to their discerning guitar enthusiast customers.”

The full range Rodriguez guitars are almost entirely handmade. Rodriguez still employs the traditional Spanish Heel construction technique that increases the solidity of the neck joint, resulting in enhanced resonance and tone. No detail is too minor to merit attention. The tuning machines are intricately cast, whether nickel-plated or gold-plated. Silver-plated frets from Germany are meticulously set, leveled and polished ensuring optimum feel and performance.

The U.S. music market

After a short slowdown in the musical instruments industry mainly due to the economic crisis we definitely perceived that sales are recovering progressively. According to the last report published by the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants), the not-for-profit association with a mission to strengthen the music products industry, in 2013 the sales of guitars grew to 2.45 millions of units including 1.36 million classic or acoustic guitars sold.

Regarding the US market, Manuel Rodrigues has emphasized: “The combination of our commitment to old-world craftsmanship and design and KMC Music’s ability to sell and support our line is going to make for a very powerful business relationship for many years to come.”