Flamenco guitar Santos Hernández 1926

This guitar was built by the legendary master luthier Santos Hernández in 1926. He was Manuel Ramírez´s best disciple, working for him for 23 years. In 1918 he opened his own workshop in 23 Aduana Street. Santos Hernández built around 300 guitars since 1916 until his very death. These guitars were used by many of the greatest guitarists of that time: Ramón Montoya, Andrés Segovia, Sabicas, Niño Ricardo, Regino Sainz de la Maza, etc.

This guitar used to belong to Fernando de la Cámara, an amateur guitarist (although he has given many concerts, especially on radio). He took guitar lessons from maestro Francisco Tárrega, along with Regino Sainz de la Maza, who was also his friend.

The different kinds of wood picked for this guitar are really exclusive, impossible to find nowadays. The german spruce of the sound top shows a truly smooth grain, straight and uniform through the entire surface. The Brazilian Rosewood of the back and sides is really homogeneous and with a beautiful black chocolate tone that endorses the quality of the piece. The finishing are simply perfect.

Its sound is truly wonderful; you just have to listen to a single chord to realize you are in front of an instrument with a quality far beyond the rest, a really special sound joining together power and character along with sweetness and finesse. The basses have an unbelievable depth and power, the trebles are sweet and smooth, with a sustained sound and unique projection. It is worth mentioning this is a guitar easily adaptable to both classical and flamenco.

The guitar tension is medium, and the height of strings in saddle and fingerboard, perfectly balanced, so it is quite a comfortable guitar for both hands.

The conservation state is very good. Is surprising to find a guitar of this time in such good condition, has some cracks, all perfectly repaired by the master craftsman Maximiano Fontiveros and documented in the attached images, and a little graft on the side of this. The guitar still has the original varnish, as the shellac has been slightly brushed up after the above mentioned repair. We must highlight the construction firmness this instrument shows, which make it appropriate to play it and use it in any situation, getting away from the rumors that say vintage guitars are fragile and delicate.