1925 Santos Hernández SP/MH

This 1925 Santos Hernández is a spruce and mahogany classical guitar from Madrid, signed by Santos on the underside of the soundboard – with a three-piece mahogany back, rare for Santos.

In the videos above, Xuefei Yang plays Dilermando Reis' "Eterna Saudade", Andrew Lee plays Ángel Barrios' "Tonadilla", Evan Hirschelman plays his "Minds That Go! (Hommage to Chuck Schuldiner)", Jiji plays Albéniz' "Leyenda" and Tavi Jinariu plays "Montemayor" – all on this guitar.

A Three-Piece Mahogany Back

This particular guitar, built in 1925, is yet another charming example of Santos' work, with beautiful materials and his usual, precise craftsmanship. It features a beautiful three-piece back of mahogany (rare for Santos), and a very colorful rosette. Santos' signature is found underneath the soundboard (not on the label), which we have seen in other of his guitars – "Construida por S. Hernández, Madrid 1925".

Sound

It is said that he was a very inward, yet proud person and the sound of his more typical guitars reflect this – this one in particular has a rich, deep and almost "pensive" quality of sound, with a solid, self-assured fundamental at the center of each note and a beautiful loose, old-world feel. Overall a gorgeous example of this great maker's best work.

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.