2016 Francisco Barba SP/CSAR

A 2016 flamenco negra by Francisco Barba, with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides, made in Seville – in like-new, "mint" condition.

A CSA Rosewood Negra

This negra is striking at first sight. In place of the typical mosaic, the center of its rosette has rosewood inlays shaped like the design that has long flanked Barba's label, and the ends of the bridge are slightly carved in the same spirit – a perfect match for the bold, instantly recognizable headstock.

Sound and Playability

The tone is fat and balanced, with lots of punch, volume and flamenco edge – a powerful, lively Andalusian negra. Its easy, sleek neck and low action give just the right amount of "sizzle" for the authentic southern Spanish sound.

Condition

Although a second-hand guitar, this Barba is in like-new, "mint" condition – a top concert negra for the stage or 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.