2014 Ethan Deutsch SP/CY

One of several 2014 flamenco blancas Ethan Deutsch built for us: spruce top, cypress back and sides, mechanical pegs.

Mid-Century Andalusian Style

As with all of Ethan's flamencos, the approach is very traditional – a light build in the spirit of the mid-century guitars from Andalucía, giving each note a strong and quick snap. Its voice is quite lyrical, flamenco or not, and it switches to aggressive the moment you push it.

Neck, Response and Pegs

It plays extremely easily for the left hand, with a sleek and easy neck contour, and responds to the lightest touch, so the right hand has a very easy time too. For players wary of wooden pegs: the pegs on this guitar are "machined" – they only look and feel old-school. We recommend this instrument highly to serious flamenco players who want a fantastic traditional concert flamenco.

Ethan Deutsch: Flamenco and Classical Guitar Maker in Seattle

Ethan Deutsch builds flamenco and classical guitars in Seattle, Washington, and has done so full-time since 1997. Born in 1955, he took up the flamenco guitar as a teenager in the Boston area – and the path from there to the workbench is one of the more fascinating stories among the makers we know.

Morón de la Frontera and Diego del Gastor

In 1970, at fifteen, he went to Spain for a year and studied with the legendary Gypsy guitarist Diego del Gastor in Morón de la Frontera, near Sevilla, absorbing the music mostly by listening and watching. He came home in 1971 with a Manuel Contreras flamenco guitar, discovered Irving Sloane's book Classic Guitar Construction and began building – learning mostly on his own.

Chemist, Flamenco Guitarist, Furniture Maker

With little guidance available for an aspiring luthier, Ethan went to college instead: a chemistry degree at Antioch College, then a Ph.D. in chemistry at Princeton and five years as a research chemist. All the while he performed flamenco professionally under the stage name "Mario Amaya" and taught himself fine woodworking. In 1989 he opened a one-man furniture and cabinet shop in Chicago, moved it to Seattle in 1991, and in 1997 came full circle and returned to guitar making.

Traditional Guitars in the Andalusian Manner

Ethan builds in the old Spanish tradition, mostly flamenco blancas of cypress and spruce, along with negras and a few classical guitars. Over the years he has fitted many of his flamencos with mechanical "machined" pegs from different makers, which keep the look of wooden friction pegs. Flamenco players such as Gerardo Núñez, Jason McGuire and Kai Narezo have all played his guitars.