Gata de Gorgos

An insight into Gata de Gorgos

Gata de Gorgos is an area in Northern Costa Blanca, situated on the national road N332. When you drive through you will see that there are many shops selling wicker work and cane furniture. This is made locally and is the main business attraction of this town. Being made here and sold directly to the customer it obviously is a lot cheaper.Some of the shops have been very clever in the fact that they now have their own small bars within the shops to cater for the bored husbands and boyfriends!

If you stroll around the back streets you will discover a beautiful square which hosts an annual artesan fair complete with puppeteers, wandering minstrels, painters and sculptors. There are also some quite modern wine bars and restaurants some hosting live music. If you take the "Lemon Express" train (a local tourist attraction) it actually stops in Gata and you can have
a drink at the "Lemon Bar"!

The local cinema shows the latest release films in English throughout the winter months. A noteable attraction is the invitation to visit the guitar factory which is situated opposite the train station. To enter you just ring the bell and one of the staff will take you on a guided tour of the small factory where you will see the guitars being made by hand. You can also purchase a guitar at factory prices which start at approximately 125€ and go up to 1500€.

Unlike any other factory or showroom there is no display window. Nothing to tell what it is except a small name plate on the wall outside, such is it's fame. A ring on the bell and you will be greeted by one of the guitar makers, usually one of tghe lady guitar makers dressed in overalls. You will then be shown up to the workshop. Everyone is happy to see you and each stage of the guitar construction is explained to you in full as it is actually happening.

Firstly, the body shapes are cut from wooden jigs. Starting with the back, this wood is usually rosewood or mahogany. Then the sides, these are lengths of rosewood but to make them bend to the sides of the guitar there is still only one age old method that works. The wood is soaked in water then bent to shape over a copper tube within which is burning a gas flame. So as the wood is shaped to the form of the sides of the guitar it is drying at the same time. The sides and back are then glued together with wooden block connections internally. When this first step in the construction is fully dried the neck is fitted to the body.

Having been left for a while, the top (table) of the guitar is glued on. This is now left for 3 months for the glue to harden. The guitar now moves on to stage 3.The guitar maker will now shave down all overlapping bits of flange and purfling (bits of wooden strips that fill in joins externally) so that the instrument is smooth. Now we come to the neck. The frets (metal strips across the fingerboard) have to be set into the fretboard accurately and the instrument sprayed with polyurethane laquer. Next the machine heads (tuning pegs) are fitted and the strings. Being a classical guitar they will be nylon. All of this work for one guitar to the value of approximately £75! Ten months work the detail and precision and above all devotion.

Imagine how long they would take to make a guitar that would cost you £5000!! In the back of my mind however I still have one thought "you still have to get a tune out of it!"

As I have mentioned the Lemon Express let me just give you an idea of what it is. The Lemon Express is an old fashioned train which takes passengers from Benidorm north to Gata de Gorgos. It is a purely touristic journey which takes 5 hours through Benidorm, Altea, the Penon
de Ifach (Calpe) and Teulada and other natural places not otherwise accessible. On the return journey south passengers enjoy the wonderful landscape of the Mediterranean from the heights of the coast whilst sparkling wine is served.

For Reservations and Information
Tel: 96 680 3103
Fax: 96 680 8521

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