Graciliano Perez　[グラシリアーノ・ペレス] Flamenco Negra Wood Peg

Product Description

Neck:Cedro
Fingerboard:Ebony
Finish(Top):Lacquer
Finish(Back & Sides):Lacquer
Tuning Machines:Wittner
String Height(1st):2.6mm
String Height(6th):2.6mm

Maker Information

Graciliano Perez

Graciliano Perez was born in 1955 in Ciudad Real, Spain. At the age of nine he moved to Córdoba, where he continues to build guitars by hand in his own workshop. Growing up on the same street as the workshop of the legendary Miguel Rodríguez I (1888–1975), Perez became closely acquainted with the Rodríguez family from an early age. Frequent visits to their workshop sparked his fascination with guitar construction, tonewoods, and traditional craftsmanship, eventually leading him to study guitar making under their guidance.

Perez's guitars remain firmly rooted in the Córdoba tradition established by Miguel Rodríguez. Although his production has always been very limited, his work began attracting attention in the 1990s. His international reputation grew dramatically when fellow Córdoban guitarist Vicente Amigo adopted his guitars, most notably for the acclaimed 2013 album Tierra. Their long friendship also allowed Vicente to provide valuable feedback on tone and playability, helping Perez refine his instruments into highly regarded modern flamenco guitars.

Often compared with fellow Córdoba master Manuel Reyes (1934–2014), Perez offers a distinctly different voice. Rather than the polished refinement associated with Reyes, his guitars retain a raw, powerful character and an unmistakable flamenco personality. Today he continues to build both traditional Córdoba-style instruments and more experimental designs, including X-braced models, with every guitar still handcrafted alongside his brother.

Instrument Description

A 2025 Graciliano Perez Flamenco Negra fitted with Wittner geared wooden pegs, offered in virtually new, mint used condition. It features a spruce soundboard and Indian rosewood back and sides, the classic negra combination.

While earlier Perez guitars were admired for their rugged, highly traditional flamenco voice, this 2025 instrument explores a notably different acoustic concept. The result is an original yet thoroughly convincing flamenco guitar.

Its most remarkable feature is the bracing system, which is clearly inspired by the celebrated "Churchdoor" guitars built by Miguel Rodríguez I during the 1960s. Perez faithfully follows the basic concept while introducing several refinements of his own.

The soundboard incorporates two harmonic bars together with a diagonal brace crossing the lower bar, two reinforcing plates extending from the neck block alongside the soundhole, five symmetrically arranged fan braces, and two reverse V-shaped closing bars. The body's main air resonance is tuned slightly above F#.

Another distinctive feature is the intentionally asymmetrical soundboard, with the bass side made slightly wider than the treble side. This design appears closely related to the reduced vibrating area on the treble side created by the bracing pattern, demonstrating Perez's unique approach to tonal control.

The sound differs markedly from the dry, immediate response traditionally associated with Spanish flamenco guitars. Instead, the voice seems to emerge from deep within the body, producing an unusually rich ambience and natural reverberation while maintaining exceptional speed, note separation, and the dynamic drive essential to flamenco playing. Despite its depth and complexity, the sound remains remarkably coherent, allowing the player precise control over every nuance of articulation.

The guitar is in outstanding playing condition. The neck, frets, and Wittner geared pegs function perfectly. It features a medium D-shaped neck with a relatively flat, slightly square profile. String action remains at the original factory setup of 2.6 mm / 2.6 mm (1st/6th strings at the 12th fret), with approximately 2.5 mm of saddle remaining. Finished in lacquer, the guitar weighs 1.76 kg, slightly heavier than a typical flamenco guitar, contributing to its substantial tonal depth and projection.