FROM THE TOP MANUEL RODRIGUEZ III I MANUEL RODRIGUEZ GUITARRAS
a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Marines. All three have [dual citizenship] between the U.S. and Spain. Since our company has been all over Europe and the world, I see us as citizens of the world, not just a single country. My second son is more like me in personality and very open to entrepreneurship, so maybe he’ll work as an ambassador for the brand. HOW MANY INSTRUMENTS DO YOU MAKE A YEAR? We partner with GEWA to distribute to 120 countries and have to make around 10,000 guitars annually to ful- fill demand. It takes a lot of work because our instruments are crafted with love, by hand. WOW, THAT’S A LOT. WHERE ARE THE GUITARS BUILT? We make our most expensive guitars in Spain, but
I spend so many hours getting woods, designing gui- tars, going to trade shows and touring stores internation- ally that my wife would divorce me if I played guitar, too. I just don’t have the time to study two hours a day. My father and grandfather also focused much more on designing guitars than playing. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR COMPANY 10 YEARS FROM NOW? I’ve never been the best nor the worst guitar maker in the world. I just want to continue to be different and make every day rich in history, sound and beauty. I want to in- spire more people to play musical instruments to make the world a better place. I want to inspire people to hang in there, because just hanging in there is enough nowadays. YOU HAVE SUCH A POSITIVE OUT-
entrepreneurship in Europe is hard. We used to have 60 to 70 workers in Spain, and I was losing my hair. So, to remain competitive while preserv- ing our craftsmanship, we moved part of our production to Romania. My company has withstood two world wars, one civil war and many other challenges. We know how to adapt and survive. HOW DO YOU MANAGE QUALITY CONTROL, ESPECIALLY ACROSS DIFFERENT COUNTRIES WITH A HANDMADE PRODUCT? The Romanian factory was going to
LOOK ON LIFE AND BUSINESS. WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? I almost died seven years ago, be- fore the pandemic. My distributor from Fiji had an idea to build a ukulele fac- tory there that would use fallen trees and other materials. I worked there for six months teaching the factory work- ers how to make ukuleles and caught dengue fever the last month from a mosquito. As I said, I almost died, but I survived and I’m still here today. You cannot value life more once you’ve had that kind of experience. Every day is a miracle. You can’t control the past or
“WE’RE AN INDUSTRY WHERE KIDS ARE SPENDING MORE TIME
ON TIKTOK THAN PLAYING MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS. WE HAVE TO BE MORE HUMAN.”
collapse before we began working there. We saved the jobs of hundreds of families. I’ve been traveling there for months teaching them the Spanish tradition of guitar mak- ing and working very closely with them, trying to transmit my passion and working bench by bench. Since the work- ers there were all in danger of losing their jobs, they have been very motivated to learn and they do a great job. We all need to work together to survive and make instruments to make a better world. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CREATE ONE OF YOUR GUITARS? A Spanish Maestro Guitar takes two months. When you make a guitar, it’s part of your life, and you can feel al- most ashamed to sell it, but it must be done. I put so much passion into it. Over the last 120 years, my family has sold half a million guitars around the world. When I leave this earth, people will continue to enjoy them. That’s why I take the responsibility for this name and company so seri- ously, and why I make the quality the very best it can be. DO YOU PLAY MUCH FLAMENCO GUITAR YOURSELF?
the future — only the day you’re living.
SHIFTING GEARS, WHAT’S THE LAST SONG OR BAND YOU STREAMED? The Police! Sting has played our guitars, and because I’m always looking for new ways to innovate, we’ve dis- cussed some interesting creative ideas together. Since he also has a winery, one concept we explored involves incorporating wood from the wine barrels into the con- struction of a special instrument, creating a unique sen- sory and artistic experience for musicians. It’s still in the early stages, but it could become a memorable project. IF YOU WEREN’T WORKING IN THE MI INDUSTRY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’D BE DOING FOR WORK? I’d be a Top Gun fighter pilot. I’ve been on planes my entire life. I love aviation and dreamed of flying, but didn’t have the ability to learn how when I was younger. Now, I’ve lived comfortably, and I can get my flight les- sons. I’m so happy that I can make instruments and fly planes. MI
28 I MUSIC INC. I JULY 2026
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