Flamenco Guitars
In a guitar shop in Madrid I once played a flamenco guitar made by Santos Hernández, who is considered to have been the greatest builder of flamenco guitars ever. It was a small, very light-weight guitar, apparently not being very well taken care of--it was kept standing on the floor leaning against a wall. But I will never forget the extraordinary sound and playability of that guitar: It was so responsive that it seemed to almost play itself. This has been the ideal towards which I strive in my flamenco guitar building.
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I generally make flamenco gutars using
Spanish
Cypress for the back and sides (or Monterey Cypress, or Maple--please see About Wood for Backs and
Sides), Engelmann Spruce
for soundboards and fan bracing, Spanish Cedar for necks, ebony for
fingerboards, Brazilian Rosewood (if available, otherwise Indian Rosewood) for bridges—which
have
tie-blocks trimmed with bone and sometimes marquetry related to the
rosette—a 656- or 650mm scale length, and lyre style Schaller
tuners. Each rosette
is usually unique,
although patterns can be repeated. Any of these specifications
can be
changed (such as using Western Red Cedar for the soundboard) on a
custom order.
I also make flamencas negras, using Indian Rosewood for the backs and sides:
