1960 Ignacio Fleta SP/CSAR

This 1960 Ignacio Fleta is a classical guitar with a spruce top, a CSA rosewood back and Indian rosewood sides – an unusual mix of rosewoods for a Barcelona Fleta.

A Rare Combination of Woods

In typical Fleta fashion for this period, this example from 1960 features a spruce soundboard. Interestingly, the sides are Indian rosewood and the back is CSA rosewood – a much rarer option for Fleta.

Sound and Playability

Its voice is deep and complex, evenly balanced and capable of great dynamic contrast, with that firm core to each note which helps a Fleta reach the back of a concert hall. Playability is a highlight: the slender neck shape of this era sits easily in the hand, and the guitar stays comfortable through long hours of playing.

Spruce-top Fletas from these years were the instruments of choice for Segovia and Williams, in concert and on record, and their sound is still treasured by collectors and players.

Condition

The guitar does have some cracks (on the top only) that have been expertly repaired by Yuris Zeltins (using only 4 cleats, two splices and glue), but it is otherwise in original condition – including all thicknesses (no sanding) and Fleta's famous varnish from 1960.

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.