1966 Marcelo Barbero (Hijo) SP/CY

A 1966 flamenco guitar by Marcelo Barbero Hijo, with a spruce top and cypress back and sides, built in the Madrid workshop of Arcángel Fernández – a rare, all-original guitar in nearly pristine condition.

Basically a 60s Arcángel

Here's a rare instrument in nearly original condition. The son of the great Marcelo Barbero worked for Barbero's protégé, Arcángel Fernández, for his entire career. This instrument was built in the 1960s, when many say Arcángel built his greatest flamencos – and Marcelo Hijo would have been at the next bench, building this one from the same materials, to the same design, to the master's specifications and approval. It's basically a 60s Arcángel, built by the son of the greatest flamenco builder of all time.

Sound and Condition

Everything is original. There are no cracks. And the sound! A huge bass over sizzling, projecting flamenco trebles. Playability is also superb. This is an archetypal flamenco guitar in pristine condition for the collector, player or enthusiast.

Marcelo Barbero Hijo: Trained by Arcángel Fernández

Marcelo Barbero Hijo (c. 1944–1946 to 2007) was the only son of the legendary Madrid flamenco guitar maker Marcelo Barbero. He was still a boy when his father died in 1956, so he never worked with him; instead he was taken in and trained by his father's only pupil and successor, Arcángel Fernández, who was both a father figure and a maestro to him and passed on everything he had learned from the elder Barbero.

Guitars "Para Casa Arcángel Fernández"

Marcelo Hijo spent his whole career at Arcángel's side in his workshop in the Lavapiés quarter of Madrid, just a couple of blocks from his father's old shop. His guitars carry a label reading "Construida por Marcelo Barbero (Hijo) para casa Arcángel Fernández" – built by Marcelo Barbero (son) for the house of Arcángel Fernández – and they follow the plans, woods and standards of the guitars Arcángel built alongside them: light, fast and powerful flamencos, along with a smaller number of classicals, in the great Barbero tradition.