2025 Juan Fregenal SP/CY

This 2025 Juan Fregenal is a spruce and cypress flamenco guitar handmade in Granada, Spain, and the actual guitar that won First Prize for flamenco at the 2025 Antonio Marín Montero International Guitar Making Competition.

A Traditional Granada Flamenco Guitar

We are thrilled to have this guitar here. Juan has been building for many years. He is a seasoned, well-trained luthier who works largely in the traditional Spanish style, with influences from the modern Granada school.

Santos Hernández and Marcelo Barbero

The rosette and insole designs of this guitar are inspired by a beautiful 1921 Santos Hernández. The guitar is also modeled on the work of Marcelo Barbero, who became Santos's "unofficial" successor after Santos's widow hired him to finish several guitars left incomplete at Santos's death. So it's no surprise that Juan's guitar is very lightweight, with a low body resonance and traditional Spanish construction throughout.

Flamenco Sound with Classical Versatility

The guitar is currently set up as a flamenco, giving it a bullet-like attack, a raspy voice, and a dry "bark." It is extremely versatile and would work well in any flamenco setting, from solo playing to ensemble work. With an adjustment to the action, we believe it would be equally at home as a phenomenal classical guitar, thanks to its beautiful, lyrical treble and full-sounding basses. All around, it's a great guitar: an authentic traditional Spanish instrument, tastefully made in every way.

From Electric Guitar to the Spanish Guitar

Like many of his generation, Juan Fregenal came to music in his early teens through the electric guitar. He learned to play solos and blues, and eventually to improvise in jazz, joining jam sessions with his musician friends. Over time, he realized that what he loved most was the acoustic sound of the guitar itself: the sensation of direct contact with vibrating wood and the feeling it gives. That naturally led him to the traditional Spanish guitar.

A Curiosity About Sound

As Juan tried different guitars, he grew curious about how luthiers control so many variables, from tonal color and articulation to dynamic range and responsiveness. Wanting to pursue his own ideas about these things, he enrolled in a guitar-making course at the Chacón School of Luthiery, where he built his first guitar. He then set up his own workshop in Granada.

Lessons from Historic Guitars

In Granada, Juan befriended a local and very passionate collector who has allowed him to study the instruments in his collection. This has deepened Juan's appreciation and love for the sound of the guitar, particularly historic, vintage, and traditional instruments. They have become the source of the qualities he seeks in his own work: delicacy balanced with great character, leaving plenty of room for the musician's own ideas, without an obsession with excess volume. He has also found great camaraderie with fellow Granada luthier Francisco Jiménez, himself an award winner at the Granada competition, spending many hours together visiting and talking about the mysteries of the guitar.

First Prize in Granada

After several years devoted to his craft, Juan won first prize for his flamenco guitar at the prestigious eighth Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Making Competition in Granada, Spain, in July/August 2025. His classical guitar was also a finalist. We are very pleased to have met this very fine maker and look forward to seeing many more of his guitars in the future.