1930 Santos Hernández SP/CSAR

This 1930 Santos Hernández is a spruce and CSA rosewood classical guitar made in Madrid, with a label dedicated by Santos himself to a friend named Rafael – a slightly more ornate example of his work.

In the videos above, Eric Henderson plays Ponce's "Preámbulo and Allegro Vivo", Fabricio Mattos plays Luis Claudio's "Choro das Araucárias" and Mircea Gogoncea plays Lecuona's "La Comparsa" on this guitar.

A Label Dedicated by Santos

Across the printed label (Aduana 27) Santos wrote a dedication to his friend Rafael and signed it, with "30" written on the "Año" line underneath his signature. This particular guitar, built in 1930, is a gorgeous and slightly more ornate example of Santos' work, with beautiful materials and great style and charm in design and execution. Tone is warm yet clear, balanced and focused with a deep, old-world sound.

Repairs and Playability

The guitar has some repaired cracks on the top, two below the bridge. One is spliced and both are well repaired from the underside with cleats. There is another very small crack (also cleated) at the far extremity of the lower bout as well as one on the side of the fingerboard, which is normally found in guitars of this vintage. Germán Vázquez Rubio recently repaired 2 small back cracks, which are both invisible from the inside and outside, and did some finish overpolishing. Setup and playability are a breeze and this guitar is ready for the concert hall or recording studio – a wonderful example of Santos at his best.

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.