Classical Guitars

Bouchet (1898-1986) was an artist/teacher who began playing guitar in 1932 and made his first one in 1946. In the 70's, he worked with Marin Montero and together they made a few guitars. His instruments were greatly admired and played by Alexandre Lagoya, Ida Presti, Emilio Pujol, and Julian Bream. Over a period of about 30 years he only made 150 guitars. Ray Courtnall, in his book, The Master Makers and their Guitars, states that "Bouchet's guitars are noted for both their considerable volume their superb sustain, as well as their aesthetic beauty. These rare instruments are now extremely valuable and are virtually impossible to obtain." This is one of those and it is sensational! Click here to view guitar.

This is Bob's prototype "GRID" braced guitar and it's incredible! It's a thin topped guitar, reminiscent of the guitars from the late 1800's-early 1900's. The guitar has an oval shaped "sound port" on the upper left side. This is a very loud, very EVEN sounding guitar with an extremely loud and musical 1st string. Bob is currently making 2 more GRID braced guitars as we speak, this one being so successful. The guitar is entirely French polished by Bob. The tuning machines are Gotoh Professional, Hauser style. The guitar is effortless to play and the action is low. Scale length is 650mm's. Neck is Spanish Cedar. Fingerboard is Ebony. Pictures to follow.

Serge is the father of a family of guitar builders, all taught by him and all are extraordinary. The craftsmanship, woods, snakewood bindings, unusual mixture of traditional and cross bracing, marble European spruce top, black Brazilian rosewood back, handmade rosette, easy playability and of course the sound: clear, lush, bright, and warm. A very special guitar. Pictures to follow.

This guitar is Hauser on the outside and Torres on the inside! The sound of this guitar is exceptional and incredible! The guitar plays very easy with its low action. The sound of the first string is wonderful! Scale length is 650 with 3 mm's of compensation for a total length of 653. Intonation is excellent. Rosette is handmade by Bob and is very traditional in its design. The Torres fan bracing sports an "open" harmonic bar which gives the voice more prescence. The sound is warm, clear, even and loud. Guitar is entirely French Polished. Tuning machines are Sloane with Ebony buttons. There is a 20th fret for the first two strings. Fingerboard is Ebony and bridge is Indian Rosewood. Case is a double arched, full neck cradle, Brune case. This is a truely amazing guitar, light in weight, easy to play and such a pleasing voice. Click here to view guitar.

Paul is one of the most acclaimed and innovative builders in England. Because of his exclusive fan, lattice bracing system, the sound of these guitars are powerful without losing sweetness and warmth. The workmanship, inside and out, is stunning and the tuners are Rodgers. His guitars have been played by some very popular guitarists: Jason Vieaux, The Assads, Marcelo Kayath, Konrad Ragossnig, etc. Click here to view guitar.

Beautiful sweet sounding with clarity , brightness,and Hauser depth of sound. In the January 2008 issue of Acoustic Guitar Magazine, there is a 6 page article about Hauser guitars. Click here to view guitar.

Santos Hernandez (1873- 1942) is among the greatest Spanish builders, known primarily for his flamenco guitars. This is his greatest flamenco guitar, called "Bon Bon", which he built for himself. THIS IS AN HISTORICAL ONE OF A KIND.

In October 1991 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in conjunction with the Museo Municipal of Madrid, published a book called "La Guitarra Espanola, showing a collection of special and outstanding Spanish classical and flamenco guitars from the 18th to the 20th century. If you were lucky enough to have seen this exhibit and even luckier to have bought the book, turn to page 176-177. If not, click on the link to see pictures. THIS IS THE GUITAR. It's still very much alive and was played in concert on several occasions by the owner. Click here to view guitar.

Hopf guitars are played by Baden Powell, The Who, and many other famous guitarists. They're known for their easy playability and powerful voice. This one is lattice braced, 660 scale, and has a slighty wider neck. It's in very good condition except for the ever popular string ding. Click here to view guitar.

I can't even begin to tell you about these revolutionary guitars. With a unique patented,"Lens Resonance System". Hubert Kappel plays a Liikanen (pronounced "LEE-KA-NEN") guitar and is on the cover of the December '04 cover of "Classical Guitar" magazine. He's shown with the Liikanen guitar and talks about it in his interview. This is an introductory price and there's a waiting list already. They are also in cedar and can be had with Brazilian rosewood for slightly more. For more infomation about Liikanen Guitars, visit their web site at http://www.liikanenguitars.com

Tom's guitars are a favorite of Angel Romero. They're bright, bold, and perfect for a concert audience. Click here to view guitar.

The king of Granada builders has made the best I ever heard. Besides beauty, clarity, and separation of voices that Marin's are known for, it has tremendous power. It also has beautiful Rodgers tuners. This is a dream guitar. Click here to view guitar.

The mellowness and clarity of old Marin's are reminiscent of old Velazquez's: rare and desirable. Click here to view guitar.

This is a builder who is new to me. The woods, finish and grid bracing, produce a bright, rich sounding instrument similar to the Australian sound. This is a terrific guitar at a low introductory price. Click here to view guitar.

It's finally here, but not for long or you can get on his 15 year waiting list. The sound explodes in your hands. What a guitar! Many of the top guitarists, such as John Williams, Ben Verdery, and Nick Goluses put down their Fletas and are now playing Smallman's. Click here to view guitar.

The insides are as interesting as the outside. It looks, feels, and sounds similar to a Smallman. Quite a guitar for the price. See his site for the bracing Click here to view guitar.

Valence was born in 1787 in Mirecourt and did his apprenticeship in Paris under Renee Lacote. This guitar has been completely restored in France and has incredible pictorials and restoration plans. The elegant maple case was made to order, as was the canvas cover. The playability and sound are superb. This is a jewel. Click here to view guitar.

Manuel's son also builds extraordinary guitars. This is a prime example. The sound is very even and strong and has all the qualities and tonalities of a concert guitar. This is the first I've had in a long time because he sells them as soon as they're finished, just like his father does. Click here to view guitar.

A new one from "the Maestro". I watched him build it for me. He's amazing and so are the guitars. The woods, the sound, all as beautiful as ever. Click here to view guitar.

The Estrella and the Rafaella were made under the supervision of Manuel when he moved back to Puerto Rico. All of these that I've had, have the Velazquez sound of beauty, whether made by him or supervised by him. This one also has Lansdorfer tuners. Click here to view guitar.

Except for a repaired lower bout back crack, it's all original with Lansdorfer machines. If you can't afford a Hauser 1, but want the same clear, bright sweet, warm sound, the 50's and 60's Velazquez's are it. Not to mention, that one day they'll be as valuable. Click here to view guitar.

Flamenco Guitars

This guitar of an unknown builder, has a white label with a red border that's typed: "A mi buen amigo y aficionado Antonio Rodriguez digno de mi mayor aprecio le dedico esta guitarra." and signed by SABICAS and signed Gaspar Gonzalez inside. There are also written initials that look like GL and stamped constuctor just below the heel block. It's Spruce and Indian rosewood, well made, with a very bright, punchy sound. It has a golpeador, so I imagine it was used for flamenco. The deceased owner was a good friend of Sabicas, who frequented his home for weekly juergas. Price? I have an offer of $5000. I'm open to bids or any info you may have about it. Click here to view guitar.