2007 Lester DeVoe "Negra" SP/IN (ex Antonio Rey)

This 2007 Lester DeVoe “Negra” is a spruce and Indian rosewood flamenco guitar owned by Antonio Rey, who used it on his Grammy-winning album “Flamenco Sin Fronteras”.

Antonio Rey’s DeVoe

A letter from Antonio Rey confirming that he recorded “Flamenco Sin Fronteras” on this guitar accompanies it. It has his printed label – “Lester DeVoe, Constructor, Nipomo, California, U.S.A.” – signed “Lester J. DeVoe”, dated 2007, and a rare piece of flamed Spanish cedar for the neck.

Sound and Playability

Perfect balance in string tension, instant picado, perfect intonation and low action, with “flamenco puro” sound – bright basses and snappy trebles – in an extremely light, gutsy build. The guitar was in excellent condition, with minor finish wear and no damage.

Lester DeVoe: An American Flamenco Master

Lester DeVoe (born 1951) is among the most celebrated flamenco guitar makers of the last fifty years. Self-taught, he began building in 1975 and worked in San José, California, in Paris, Maine, and from the early 2000s in Nipomo, California. He was “discovered” in the 1980s by Sabicas, who played DeVoe guitars for the rest of his career, and his guitars were then embraced by Paco de Lucía, Vicente Amigo, El Viejín and Antonio Rey. He has now retired from guitar making.

The DeVoe Flamenco

DeVoe builds in the style of the old masters, with guitars as light as a feather – comparable in weight to a great Marcelo Barbero or Santos Hernández – and a “flamenco puro” sound: bright, vibrant basses and snappy trebles. Players prize them above all for their playability and balance – even string tension across the strings and up the fingerboard, a fast-releasing picado, precise intonation and low action. His classic rosette is a “roses” design after early José Ramírez guitars, and many players feel his finest guitars date from after 2010.