2019 Luis Fernández de Córdoba "Blanca" SP/CY

A 2019 flamenco blanca by Luis Fernández de Córdoba, with a spruce top and cypress back and sides, based on a 1972 Sobrinos de Esteso ex Parrilla de Jerez.

After a 1972 Sobrinos de Esteso

Luis inspected that guitar from the Esteso line and was profoundly impressed, above all by its sound. He followed its structure almost entirely – thicknesses, bracing, even the asymmetric bridge measurements – changing only the string length, from 670 to 655 mm, and using a traditional Esteso head in place of the original's media luna. He sees it as an interpretation rather than a literal copy.

Mid-Century Flamenco Energy

Lightly built, it has the bouncy, springy energy of the mid-century style, with immediate attack and precise focus, and a low action with just enough flamenco buzz to add sizzle.

Photos of this guitar being built

Luis Fernández de Córdoba: From Panama to Alexandria

Luis Fernández de Córdoba is a Panamanian-born luthier who works in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. He began building in 2000, opened his workshop in 2001 and, after years of building and repairing all kinds of acoustic guitars, has devoted himself exclusively to classical and flamenco guitars since 2009. He apprenticed in the USA and in Granada, Spain, and has worked alongside makers in Spain, Mexico and Argentina.

Inspired by the Spanish Masters

He has studied the great makers of the past – Antonio de Torres, Santos Hernández, Hermann Hauser I, Manuel Velázquez, José Romanillos and Robert Bouchet – and visited the workshops of Richard and Marshall Brune and of Jeffrey Elliott, another of his inspirations. He is a member of the Guild of American Luthiers.