1956 Ignacio Fleta SP/CSAR

This 1956 Ignacio Fleta is a classical guitar with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides, built in Barcelona the same year as John Williams' first Fleta.

A 1956 Fleta in CSA Rosewood

Built in the years of Fleta's coveted "spruce" period, this one features CSA rosewood for the back and sides – a rare treat for Fleta aficionados. Curiously, it was built the same year as the first Fleta owned by John Williams, whose three Fletas were made in 1956, 1961 and 1972. The neck and body proportions are a bit smaller than in Fleta's later, larger style, making it extremely comfortable to play.

Sound and Condition

There are some well-repaired cracks in the guitar, done without any loss of integrity to the instrument, sound-wise or structurally. This is one of the strongest, most powerful Fletas we have seen, and the tone is absolutely magical. An extremely intriguing instrument and an extremely desirable Fleta by any standard.

Ignacio Fleta: Master Guitar Maker of Barcelona

For performers and collectors alike, the name Ignacio Fleta (1897–1977) ranks among the elite handful of 20th-century luthiers. Trained in Barcelona as a maker of violins and cellos, he built mainly bowed instruments from the late 1920s until 1955, when he decided to devote himself to the guitar. Countless scores of the finest players in the world have played his instruments – among them Andrés Segovia, John Williams, Angel Romero, Turibio Santos, Alirio Díaz and Marcelo Kayath.

Ignacio Fleta e Hijos: Three Generations

By the mid-1960s Fleta's sons, Francisco (1925–2003) and Gabriel (1929–2013), had become his partners in the workshop – which is why the labels from then on read "Ignacio Fleta e hijos" (Ignacio Fleta and sons). After Ignacio's death in 1977 the brothers carried on, and today Gabriel's son, Gabriel Fleta Jr., continues the family workshop in its third generation. Many dozens of Fletas have passed through our doors over the years.