1919 Santos Hernández SP/CY (Romero collection)

This 1919 Santos Hernández is a spruce and cypress guitar from Madrid and the Romero family collection – one of the foundational instruments that has influenced Pepe Romero Jr.

In the video above, Scott Tennant plays Mudarra's "Gallarda" and "Fantasía que contrahaze la harpa" and Neusidler's "Welscher Tantz" on this guitar.

The Santos That Shaped Pepe Romero Jr.

This particular guitar, built in 1919, is a gorgeous example of Santos' work. Pepe was given this guitar as a gift early in his career by his father, who allowed him to choose one Santos from several in his collection. He chose this instrument for its beautiful sound, warmth, clarity, and soulful voice. Although a cypress guitar... it was built at a time when no distinction was made between "classical" and "flamenco" – it's essentially a great "guitar" and can accommodate both styles of playing beautifully. This realization has profoundly influenced Pepe Jr.'s approach to guitar making. A quick look at the head shape and the shape of Pepe Jr.'s headstock is discernible as well. The label gives Santos' early address, Plaza de Nicolás Salmerón 8, Madrid.

Live at GSI: Scott Tennant and Pepe Romero Jr.

This instrument was featured in the June 1, 2013 event at GSI, as one of six guitars from Pepe Romero's personal collection that were featured in a memorable evening in the GSI showroom. These six instruments were chosen in particular since they are the key guitars that have most influenced his son, luthier Pepe Romero Jr., over the course of his life, both before and during his activity as a luthier. The guitars were presented by Pepe Jr. and played by none other than maestro Scott Tennant. This was about as personal a connection with these absolutely historic guitars as one could get, with background stories and information provided by Pepe Jr., who has studied these guitars intimately (and literally lived with them). And to have them played by Scott Tennant in a great-sounding intimate space made this a once-in-a-lifetime concert. Click here to see photos of the event.

Santos Hernández and Segovia's 1912 Manuel Ramírez

Santos Hernández (1874–1943) is one of the elite makers of the historical pantheon – along with Torres and Hauser I in terms of collectibility and historical importance. Santos became a very established maker early in his career when he became known as the builder of the Manuel Ramírez guitar of 1912 that was owned and played by Andrés Segovia – this very guitar currently resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, right next to Segovia's 1937 Hauser I.

From the Ramírez Workshop to Calle de la Aduana, Madrid

Born in Madrid, Santos started out as a boy making the gold and silver trimmings for bullfighters' suits, and turned to the guitar in 1886. After his apprenticeship and five years of military service, Manuel Ramírez – the teacher he always considered his true one – took him into his workshop, where he became foreman. Two years after Ramírez's death in 1916, Santos set up his own shop, soon on Calle de la Aduana, where the great guitarists of the day came to visit and where he worked until his death in 1943.

A Guitar for the Great Players of His Day

Many others have played his instruments, including Regino Sainz de la Maza (for whom the "Concierto de Aranjuez" by Joaquín Rodrigo was written), Eduardo Abreu, Daniel Fortea, and the Romero family among others, as well as flamenco masters such as Ramón Montoya and Sabicas. Players for the past 100 years have valued these instruments for their charming, introverted quality of tone.