Guns N’ Roses guitarist Richard Fortus made a visit to Porto, Portugal, ahead of the band’s scheduled concert on Friday, June 6, at the Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, to purchase a Portuguese guitar.
The event was documented and shared on social media by Porto Guitarra on Wednesday.
The owner of the shop described the encounter to the Diário de Coimbra.
“He walked into the shop and asked to see,” recounted Agostinho Rodrigues, the owner, explaining that he not only explained the unique features of the Portuguese guitar but also informed Fortus of the “different projects” in Portugal involving this instrument, ranging from Carlos Paredes’ fado to Bernardo Castro’s jazz, including Coimbra’s fado.
Fortus was reportedly “enchanted,” especially with the sound emanating from the strings of the Portuguese guitar, played by Tico Rodrigues, as he is known.
“And I don’t even play that well,” joked the shopkeeper, revealing that the musician ended up buying a “Coimbra guitar […], for its characteristics and the length of its strings.”
When asked about Richard Fortus’ demeanor, who has been a guitarist with the American band since 2002, Tico described him as “humble and very nice.”
Fortus also shared an image of his new acquisition on his Instagram stories.
The Guns N’ Roses concert will take place in Coimbra tomorrow, Friday, June 6, expected to draw thousands of fans.
