1962 Ignacio Fleta SP/IN (ex Angel Romero)

This 1962 Ignacio Fleta is a classical guitar with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides – the guitar Angel Romero played on his recording of the Villa-Lobos guitar concerto.

Angel Romero's 1962 Fleta

This particular instrument was previously owned by Angel Romero. He recorded the Villa-Lobos concerto with this very guitar (No. 249), with Jesús López-Cobos conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra – to hear it, see the videos below.

A Modern Fleta with 1950s Proportions

In typical Fleta fashion for this period, it is made of spruce for the soundboard and Indian rosewood for the back and sides. It is a modern Fleta in the sense that it already has the 9 fans and double harmonic bars found in the later guitars, while the neck and body proportions are a bit closer to the instruments of the late 1950s, making it extremely comfortable to play.

Condition and Sound

The condition of the guitar is excellent, with no cracks or repairs of any kind and the original finish intact. Apart from some very minor, superficial scratches on the top, there is only 1 string blemish behind the bridge from the high E-string.

This is one of the strongest, most powerful Fletas we have seen, and the tone is absolutely magical. An extremely intriguing instrument with great provenance, tone quality and condition – 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.