1960 Ignacio Fleta SP/CSAR

Year	1960
Top	Spruce
Back & Sides	CSA Rosewood
Scale Length	650 mm
Nut width	50 mm
Finish	French Polish
Country	Spain
Luthier	Ignacio Fleta

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The soundboard and sides of a 1960 Ignacio Fleta classical guitar made of spruce and CSA rosewood

The heel, neck joint, back bindins and purflings of a 1960 Ignacio Fleta classical guitar made of spruce and CSA rosewood

Detailed close-up of the rosette of a 1960 Ignacio Fleta classical guitar made of spruce and CSA rosewood

The back and sides of a 1960 Ignacio Fleta classical guitar made of spruce and CSA rosewood

The bridge, tie-block and saddle of a 1960 Ignacio Fleta classical guitar made of spruce and CSA rosewood

The front of a 1960 Ignacio Fleta classical guitar made of spruce and CSA rosewood

The side of a 1960 Ignacio Fleta classical guitar made of spruce and CSA rosewood

The back of a 1960 Ignacio Fleta classical guitar made of spruce and CSA rosewood

The rosette of a 1960 Ignacio Fleta classical guitar made of spruce and CSA rosewood

The headstock of a 1960 Ignacio Fleta classical guitar made of spruce and CSA rosewood

The label of a 1960 Ignacio Fleta classical guitar made of spruce and CSA rosewood

Hugo Moltó plays "Caprichos de Goya: Ni Asi La Distingue" by Castelnuovo-Tedesco on a 1960 Fleta

Srjdan Bulat performs his composition "Dodecaphonic Meditation" on a 1960 Ignacio Fleta guitar

I AM A GUITAR

Luigi Attademo performs Niccolò Paganini's "Grande Sonata: II. Romanza" on a 1960 Ignacio Fleta

Description

This 1960 Ignacio Fleta is a classical guitar with a spruce top and quartersawn CSA rosewood back and sides, formerly in the Sheldon Urlik collection and featured in his book.

From the Sheldon Urlik Collection

In typical Fleta fashion for this period, this example from 1960 features a spruce soundboard with what we believe is CSA rosewood for the back and sides. The guitar was formerly housed in the Sheldon Urlik collection and is featured on pages 124–125 of the 2nd edition of his book, where it is identified as Indian rosewood. However, this wood was used by others at this time, including Daniel Friederich, who called it "Amazonian" rosewood. In either case, it is high-grade material and a very well-cut quartersawn set.

Sound and Playability

Sound-wise it delivers the depth and complexity we expect from Fleta, with fine balance, a broad dynamic range and a solid, focused fundamental for projection in larger rooms. The slim neck typical of this period makes it very easy to play, comfortable even over hours of practice or performance.

This is the Fleta spruce sound of the era of Segovia and Williams – the voice heard in so many of their concerts and recordings, and still one of the most beloved among aficionados.

Condition

It was recently serviced by Jeffrey Elliott, who glued some small cracks (on the top only); otherwise it is in excellent and original condition – including Fleta's famous "violin-formula" French polish – for an instrument with over 6 decades of playing on it.

Background

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.