{"product_id":"marcelo-barbero-1955-flamenca","title":"Marcelo Barbero - 1955 Flamenca","description":"\u003ch3\u003eAbout the luthier\u003c\/h3\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eMarcelo Barbero was born in Madrid in 1904 and died there in 1956, leaving behind a body of work that occupies an important place in twentieth century Spanish guitar making. He was apprenticed to José Ramírez II and also came into contact with José Ramírez III, receiving his early formation within one of Madrid’s most significant guitar making traditions. His career later became closely connected with the legacy of Santos Hernández, one of the defining figures of the Spanish guitar.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eAfter Santos Hernández died in 1943, his widow, Matilde Ruiz, asked Barbero to continue activity in the Hernández workshop. Together with Manuel de la Chica, Barbero first completed several instruments that Santos Hernández had left unfinished, before beginning to build guitars for the shop. This period gave Barbero direct contact with the tools, working methods and instruments of Hernández, and it became a decisive influence on his own development. The outline of the head, the sense of proportion and the finely judged construction associated with Barbero’s work all speak of this deep Madrid tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eBarbero also became an important teacher. He trained Arcángel Fernández and Manuel Rodríguez, and after Barbero’s early death, his son Marcelo Barbero Jr. continued the family connection to the craft as an apprentice of Arcángel Fernández. Through this lineage, Barbero’s influence extended beyond his own relatively short life, shaping later generations of Spanish guitar making and remaining especially meaningful in the world of flamenco guitars.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout the guitar\u003c\/h3\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThis Marcelo Barbero Flamenca was made in 1955, only one year before the maker’s death. It is a flamenco blanca with a spruce top and cypress back and sides, finished with French polish and fitted with Fustero tuners. The guitar carries the essential material language of the traditional Spanish flamenco instrument, yet its musical range reaches beyond a narrow category. With careful setup, it can also serve classical repertoire, revealing the depth and refinement that Barbero brought to this form.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThe instrument has an immediate historical presence. Its light weight, 657 mm scale and low air body frequency of F give it a special physical and acoustic character. The spruce top and cypress body provide clarity, dryness and articulation, but the voice is not merely bright or percussive. It has an elastic quality, a supple response and a surprising length of sustain for a flamenco blanca. Chords continue to glow after the attack, allowing the player to remain inside the resonance rather than moving away from it too quickly.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThe tone is beautifully balanced across the register. Separation is clear, yet the sound remains warm and rounded, with a colour palette that allows soft tones as naturally as more incisive flamenco gestures. The treble has focus without hardness, and the bass carries a dry depth that supports the instrument without making it heavy. This balance between flamenco immediacy and lyrical sustain gives the guitar a deeply expressive personality.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eVisually and structurally, the guitar reflects Barbero’s extraordinary attention to proportion and detail. The head shape and angle recall the Madrid lineage connected with Santos Hernández, while the choice of spruce and cypress shows the maker’s sensitivity to traditional flamenco materials. The result is an instrument of great refinement, with a voice that feels intimate, old world and alive, capable of speaking with both rhythmic clarity and tender resonance.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003ch3\u003eCondition\u003c\/h3\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThis guitar is in excellent condition. It is not described as mint, due only to the faintest signs of use, consistent with the most careful storage and minimal playing. For a flamenco guitar from 1955, this state of preservation is especially notable. The instrument shows no cracks and no visible nail marks, and it is difficult to find an example of this age and character in such carefully preserved condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Siccas Guitars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53998440382797,"sku":"KS17922","price":999999999.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/4011\/7325\/files\/marcelo-barbero-1955-flamenca-13.jpg?v=1779953859","url":"https:\/\/www.siccasguitars.com\/products\/marcelo-barbero-1955-flamenca","provider":"Siccas Guitars","version":"1.0","type":"link"}