1987 Francisco Barba SP/CY

A 1987 flamenco blanca by Francisco Barba, with a spruce top and cypress back and sides, made in Seville – an early Barba, with the older printed label from his Arroyo, 18 address, in amazing condition.

In the video above, Juanito Pascual plays his own composition "Calle del Laurel" (Bulerías) on this guitar.

A Seville Flamenco Guitar from 1987

Instruments from this period of Barba's career seldom turn up on the used market, so this one is a rare treat. It is ultra-lightweight – light as a feather – and that gives it a lightning-fast response under the fingers.

Sound and Playability

The tone is fat and balanced, with enormous punch, volume and flamenco edge: a powerful, lively Andalusian flamenco guitar in every respect. The neck is easy and sleek, with low flamenco action and just the right amount of "sizzle" to give that authentic southern Spanish sound.

Condition

Condition is amazing – no prior damage and no repairs, just some minor wear in the finish from playing. A top concert instrument for any professional flamenco setting, on stage or in the studio.

Read more: Orfeo Magazine No. 25 – Flamenco: Origins of the Flamenco Guitar (with a feature on Francisco Barba and his sons)

Francisco Barba: Master Flamenco Guitar Maker of Seville

Francisco Barba (b. 1939) is the best-known guitar maker in Seville and one of the most respected builders of flamenco guitars in all of Spain, of the same generation as Manuel Reyes and Gerundino Fernández. A Sevillian through and through, he started woodworking at fourteen in his father's carpentry shop and built his first guitar at eighteen, teaching himself as he went. With no teacher and none of the special tools of the trade, he worked out his own methods from scratch – which is why a Barba is built like no other guitar – and he has spent his whole working life in his workshop on Calle Arroyo, in the heart of Seville.

Francisco Barba and His Sons: Guitars Made by Six Hands

For more than thirty years Francisco has built his guitars together with his sons, Francisco (Paco) and Juan Antonio Barba. The three share every stage of the work rather than specializing, choose their woods with the same ear and voice each guitar together at the end – so although the label reads "Francisco Barba", every guitar from the shop is the work of all three. Barba guitars have been the instruments of many of Andalucía's finest flamenco players, among them Rafael Riqueni, Manolo Franco, Niño de Pura, Pedro Peña, Manuel Molina and Quique Paredes, and the family was featured in Orfeo Magazine No. 25 in 2025.