1925 Domingo Esteso SP/CY

A 1925 flamenco guitar by Domingo Esteso, with a spruce top and cypress back and sides, made in Madrid for the Buenos Aires market – a century-old Esteso in surprisingly beautiful condition, from the Russell Cleveland collection.

In the videos above, Xuefei Yang plays Juan Martín's "Zambra Mora", Patricio Crom plays his own "Aníbal en Japón" and Eva Beneke plays her composition "Insieme (Together)" – all on this guitar.

An Esteso Made for Buenos Aires

When this guitar was built, Argentina was the world's 7th largest economy – larger than Spain's – and the cultural and musical capital of South America. Many Spanish makers sent their best instruments to the booming Buenos Aires guitar market, and this was one of them, made for Esteso's agents there, Romero y Fernández. The materials, especially the extraordinarily fine-grained top, are marvelous.

Condition

Condition is excellent, especially for its age, with 3 small repaired cracks in the back and one in the side. The soundboard is clean and crack-free, and the finish and thicknesses are original, as are the very eye-catching maple tap plates on the top. The neck is straight and playability is perfect.

A Guitar for Flamenco and Classical

The sound is beautiful and complex, with plenty of power for any contemporary concert or recording setting. It sounds amazing as a flamenco or a classical – one of those old, magical guitars that is versatile enough for any style of playing.

From the Russell Cleveland Collection

This guitar comes from the Russell Cleveland collection. It was one of the last guitars to leave the collection.

Domingo Esteso: From the Manuel Ramírez Workshop to Gravina 7

Domingo Esteso (1882–1937) is one of the great names of the early Madrid school of guitar making. Born on May 12, 1882, in San Clemente, in the province of Cuenca, he learned his trade in the Madrid workshop of Manuel Ramírez, where he worked alongside Santos Hernández, Modesto Borreguero and Enrique García – the shop that carried the legacy of Antonio de Torres into the 20th century. After Ramírez died in 1916, Esteso went on building for his widow, already with his own name on the labels, and around 1919 he opened his own workshop at Calle Gravina 7, where his wife, Nicolasa Salamanca, varnished the guitars. His flamencos were played by the great names of the day, among them Ramón Montoya and Niño Ricardo, and his classical guitars are prized today for their elegance, clarity and natural, woody voice.

Guitars for Buenos Aires and the Birth of the Conde Dynasty

Many of Esteso's finest guitars were made for Argentina, then one of the richest countries in the world, under a special label for Romero y Fernández of Buenos Aires, his sole agents there – some of them branded "Guitarras Iberia". In 1926 his nephew Faustino Conde joined the workshop, followed by his brothers Mariano and Julio. After Esteso's death in Madrid in 1937, in the middle of the Spanish Civil War, they carried on at Gravina 7 as "Viuda y Sobrinos de Esteso" and later as Conde Hermanos – the start of a family tradition continued today by Felipe Conde and his son, Felipe Conde Crespo.