2017 Ethan Deutsch SP/CY

A 2017 flamenco blanca by Ethan Deutsch in spruce and cypress, recorded at GSI by flamenco guitarist Juanito Pascual.

In the video above, Juanito Pascual performs his own "Zvi – Part I (Tarantas)" on this guitar.

A Traditional Blanca from Seattle

It is built the old way: notably lightweight, like the Andalusian flamencos of the mid-century, and every note comes out with a strong, quick snap – very much in keeping with Ethan's background as a player. The sound is quite lyrical for a flamenco guitar, but push it and it quickly becomes aggressive.

Mechanical Friction Pegs and Playability

For the left hand it is extremely easy to play (the neck has a sleek and easy contour), and for the right hand it is ultra-responsive to the touch and very easy. The pegs have the old-school look and feel, but they are actually "machined" mechanical pegs – no need to be nervous about tuning with traditional wooden pegs. Although a second-hand guitar, it is in excellent condition, with almost no signs of prior use. For the serious player in search of a fantastic, traditional concert flamenco guitar, this one comes highly recommended.

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.