Francisco Barba　[フランシスコ・バルバ] Original Model

Product Description

Neck:Cedro
Fingerboard:Ebony
Finish(Top):Shellac
Finish(Back & Sides):Shellac
Tuning Machines:GOTOH
String Height(1st):2.1mm
String Height(6th):2.2mm

Luthier Information

Francisco Barba
Born in 1939 in Seville, Spain.

Francisco Barba began his working life as a carpenter under his father, but at the age of 17 he decided to devote himself to becoming a guitar maker. He acquired his craft entirely through self-study, gradually refining his technique and musical sensibility.

In Spain, Barba is widely regarded as one of the great flamenco guitar makers of his generation, often mentioned alongside Manuel Reyes. In Japan, however, his name remains something of a “connoisseur’s secret,” a situation that many flamenco enthusiasts find frustrating given the extraordinary quality of his instruments. In reality, numerous leading flamenco guitarists own and praise his guitars for their exceptional tone and playability.

Equally notable are the precision of his craftsmanship and the beauty of his design, both of which are invariably cited when discussing the Barba name. Today, Francisco Barba continues to build guitars in his Seville workshop together with his two sons, Juan and José, maintaining the same workshop spirit as when he first began his career.
(Orfeo Magazine No.25, Flamenco Special Issue, features Barba’s workshop, including a memorable photograph of father and sons working side by side.)

His guitars have been used by many renowned flamenco artists, including Pedro Peña, Niño de Pura, Kike Paredes, Manuel Molina, Rafael Riqueni, Manolo Franco, among others.

Instrument Description

This is a brand-new 2026 Francisco Barba Flamenco Blanca (white) model.

The overall level of craftsmanship is outstanding. From the woodworking itself to the neck setting, fretwork, bridge configuration, finishing, and even the internal construction, every detail reflects an extraordinary degree of care. Each element contributes cohesively to the whole, resulting in an instrument of exceptionally high completeness.

While fully equipped with the physical responsiveness, functionality, dynamic range, and expressive power demanded of a flamenco guitar, Barba’s instruments are distinguished by their emphasis on musical refinement rather than sheer physical aggression. The sound is bright, vividly articulated, and finely focused, yet it unmistakably contains a wild, instinctive undercurrent. This balance of refinement and primal nuance gives Barba guitars a character rarely found among other flamenco makers.

Top Bracing Structure

The soundboard bracing consists of:

One harmonic bar and two short reinforcing bars above the soundhole (neck side)

One harmonic bar below the soundhole (bridge side)

Fairly wide reinforcing plates (approximately 4–5 cm) on both the bass and treble sides of the soundhole

In the lower bout, a central reinforcing plate approximately 2 cm wide is placed along the bookmatched center seam. From this reference point, eight fan braces—four on the bass side and four on the treble side—are arranged symmetrically at nearly parallel angles. No closing bar is used at the bottom; instead, the fan braces extend nearly to the edge of the lower bout.

Notably, the four bass-side fan braces are approximately half the size of those on the treble side, creating a clearly contrasted and intentional asymmetry in the structure.
The main body resonance is set slightly above F.

Playability & Setup

The neck has a D-shaped profile of standard thickness, with a slightly flatter feel. The neck angle and setup are exceptionally well judged. String height at the 12th fret is set quite low—2.1 mm on the 1st string and 2.2 mm on the 6th string. With a medium touch, there is no buzzing; with a stronger attack, a slight buzz may occur, but this is very much in line with traditional flamenco character. We recommend trying the guitar in its current setup first.

The guitar is fitted with Gotoh tuning machines.
Weight: 1.47 kg.

Rosette

The rosette features the brand’s original decorative motif—used on the soundhole label frame—faithfully reproduced in mother-of-pearl inlay. The workmanship is superb, lending the instrument a highly distinctive and elegant visual identity.