1960 Hernández y Aguado "Blanca" SP/CY

This 1960 Hernández y Aguado is a spruce and cypress flamenco blanca from Madrid – a very rare flamenco guitar from a workshop best known for its classical guitars.

A Rare Hernández y Aguado Flamenco Blanca

Manuel Hernández and Victoriano Aguado built only a small number of flamenco guitars. Their famous sound, sought after by so many classical players, is also perfectly suited to the flamenco aesthetic: the initial attack of the note is crisp and "snappy", almost like a snare drum, while the body of the note which follows is airy and lightweight. This brings a high level of clarity and precision to quick, busy playing, while slower passages remain very expressive and lyrical. Like the 1959 classical, its label is marked "2ª Época" rather than numbered.

Condition and Restoration

Condition is great for a guitar of this vintage – it has no cracks and is in structurally excellent condition. The original tap plates, which were only partially attached and no longer serviceable, were replaced (which also required re-varnishing the top), and a new fret job replaced the dulled and flattened frets. This work was done by Germán Vázquez Rubio, and the guitar appears never to have had any prior work. Overall a very charming and rare instrument from this esteemed and famous workshop.

Hernández y Aguado: From Pianos to Guitars in Madrid

Manuel Hernández (1895–1975) and Victoriano Aguado (1897–1982) met and became friends while working together in a piano factory. They eventually formed a partnership and set up their own piano (and furniture) repair shop in Madrid. As legend has it, their great interest in the art of guitar making was secured sometime in the 1940s, when they leased out some space in their shop to Modesto Borreguero (one of the famed Manuel Ramírez workers) and became intrigued with his guitar making skills.

A Unique Shape and Sound

Hernández y Aguado instruments remain unique in the canon of great makers – they have an almost pear-like shape (or as we say, the plantilla is "pregnant at the hips"), the interior is typically varnished just like the exterior, and they are decorated with unusually thin rosettes and ornately carved headstocks. Very responsive and musical, these guitars have been played throughout the decades by such greats as Regino Sainz de la Maza, John Williams, Julian Bream and, in more recent years, Graham Anthony Devine.