Manuel Rodriguez Sr., the patriarch of Rodriguez & Sons Guitars, passed away on Dec. 25, 2008. He was 82.

Rodriguez was born in Spain, where he developed his skills as a luthier before arriving in the United State in the 1960s. As a custom classical guitar builder in Los Angeles, he developed a reputation for using traditional classical guitar-building techniques and incorporating modern technology.

In a statement released by the Rodriguez family, they recalled his modesty when he said, “I am just a guitar maker, and I am neither good nor bad at it.”

NAMM will post a video segment from Rodriguez’s 2003 oral history interview on its Web site. MI

guitars-m-r-sons.com; namm.org