1987 Conde Hermanos "Flamenco Negra" SP/IN

This 1987 Conde Hermanos "Flamenco Negra" is a flamenco guitar with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides, made at the historic Calle Gravina 7 workshop in Madrid – the address on its label – in the last full year of Faustino Conde's life.

A Late-'80s Concert Negra from Madrid

From the most recognized flamenco shop in Spain, this is a late '80s concert negra in fantastic condition. It has explosive power and a big sound that is matched with a beautiful tone. It is a very "macho" guitar, made for a player with strong, fast hands who wants an instrument to match that technical prowess.

The Negra Made Famous by Paco de Lucía

This flamenco guitar is a concert negra (rosewood back and sides), which of course was popularized by Paco de Lucía after he began playing them in 1969. The materials are beautiful, and the classic design puts it among the most desirable older-school Condes we've seen.

Condition

For its age it is in great shape, with only minimal playing wear and no cracks or repairs. All in all, this is a great concert guitar for the most demanding of flamenco players.

Luthier bio: Felipe Conde and the Conde history

Orfeo Magazine #25 – Flamenco: Origins of the Flamenco Guitar

Conde Hermanos: The Flamenco Guitar of Madrid

Conde Hermanos guitars have been the industry standard for Spanish flamencos for many decades now. Conde has been the guitar of choice for the vast number of great players for many generations, from Niño Ricardo and Melchor de Marchena to Paco de Lucía (who recorded and concertized for nearly his entire career on Conde), Moraíto, Gerardo Núñez, Cañizares, Rafael Riqueni and the present generation's Diego del Morao and many others. Click here to see a small sampling of such performances.

The Conde Sound

They are famously known for a dry, "woody" and very firm tone, capable of retaining clarity and punch even when driven to the extreme limits of speed – whether in picado, tremolo or rasgueado techniques – these guitars can hold up and deliver a reliable and consistent quality of tone.

From Domingo Esteso to the Conde Brothers

The Conde story begins with Domingo Esteso, who trained in the workshop of Manuel Ramírez and then set up his own shop at Calle Gravina 7 in Madrid. His nephews Faustino and Mariano Conde learned the craft at his side, and after Esteso's death in 1937 they carried on – first as "Viuda y Sobrinos de Esteso", then as "Sobrinos de Domingo Esteso / Conde Hermanos" and "Hermanos Conde / Sobrinos de Esteso". In 1980 Mariano opened a second shop at Felipe V, 2, which he ran with his sons Felipe and Mariano Jr.; after Faustino's death in 1988 and Mariano's in 1989, the brothers took over. The Felipe V shop has since closed and the two brothers now work separately – Felipe Conde under his own name since 2010, with his children María and Felipe Jr.