Description
Felipe Conde Crespo is the heir of the tradition of Spanish lutherie, founded in 1915 by Domingo Esteso and developed by the Conde brothers. This luthier from Madrid, Spain, works alongside his father and sister in the family workshop and shows a genuine desire to combine the modern guitar with the long-established Spanish heritage.
This guitar is Felipe Conde’s interpretation of a 1931 Domingo Esteso guitar that is part of the Conde family collection. It is a guitar that Felipe has studied and played since childhood, and building this magnificent copy as a tribute to his great-grandfather is a significant and impressive undertaking. Here’s what Felipe says about his guitar:
“The sobriety and elegance of Esteso Instruments are the main characteristics of this guitar genius of the XX century, and this is exactly what I tried to achieve with my work. It is made of some of our best and oldest woods. The top is made of German spruce (Picea abies) and the back and sides of Madagascar rosewood (Dalbergia baronii). The “plantilla” and bracing are an exact copy of this instrument made by Domingo Esteso in 1931 with some inlays and purflings that I created myself. The tuners are copies of the original ones and to give the instrument a vintage look, I applied a special vintage-looking shellac finish.”
What an authentic and nuanced sound this Felipe Conde brings to the table. The feel, touch, and tone are indeed reminiscent of the soulful tone of Esteso’s guitars. For all those guitarists who desire an authentic, poetic sounding, and timeless Spanish guitar, this Conde is certainly a superb option.
Luthier: | Felipe Conde Crespo |
Construction year: | 2021 |
Top: | Spruce |
Body and sides: | Madagascar rosewood |
Scale: | 650 mm |
Nut: | 52 mm |
Weight: | 1663 grams |
Air resonance frequency: | F# |
Tuners: | Fustero |
Strings: | Knobloch 400ADC |
Case: | Hardshell |
Condition: | New |