Flamenco guitar Arcángel Fernández 1958 nº48

This flamenco guitar was built by the master luthier Arcángel Fernández in the year 1958, considered to be one of the best guitar makers in history. His instruments are really hard to get, since Japan collectors bought almost all of them. His guitars are truly admired by guitar makers, collectors and guitarists all around the world.

The different woods in this flamenco guitar are of the top existing quality. The top are made of german spruce has a totally straight and even grain, which is quite accentuated. The back and sides are made of cypress wood, whose beauty and quality are simply magnificent. Arcángel Fernández was extremely selective as regards the choice of the woods for the guitar making. He always seeked for nothing but excellence in acoustics and beauty, which can be appreciated in every single guitar he made all along his career.

This guitar is specially interesting if we remember the time when it was made: a date which could be considered the first period of this maker´s career, as in this year (1958) Arcángel Fernández became an independent luthier, after working for Marcelo Barbero´s widow for a year (Barbero died in 1956). Consequently, he inherited all the secrets and knowledge of the profession from Barbero. This fact accounts for the echoes and nuances in Marcelo Barbero´s guitars, with that characteristic dry and clear sound which captivates all of us since the very first strumming note. The trebles show an “open” sound, filled with nuances. It is a guitar with a quick response and this particular timbre, typical of the very best guitars.

This flamenco guitar has got medium tension, and a perfectly balanced height of strings in the saddle and fingerboard, providing the guitarist with a high degree of comfort for both hands, as well as an easy performance.

The condition of the guitar is excellent. It has a small and superficial crack, perfectly repaired and shown in the images attached. On the upper part of the top, there is an area located in a “dead zone”, with practically no vibration, so the sound is not affected in any way. Additionally, we can see a small repair in the central part of the bottom, which seems to be an attempt to seal a possible crack which might come up eventually, as it is impossible to see any crack in that area.