Viuda de Santos Hernandez　［ビウダ・デ・サントス・エルナンデス］ Flamenco Blanca

Product Description

Neck:Cedro
Fingerboard:Ebony
Finish(Top):Shellac
Finish(Back & Sides):Shellac
Tuning Machines:FUSTERO
String Height(1st):2.7mm
String Height(6th):3.2mm

Maker Information

Viuda de Santos Hernández (Marcelo Barbero I)

The label Viuda de Santos Hernández ("Widow of Santos Hernández") refers to Matilde Ruiz López, the widow of the legendary Madrid luthier Santos Hernández (1874–1943), and indicates the continuation of his workshop after his death.

Santos Hernández is regarded as one of the most influential makers in the history of the Spanish guitar. After working in several Madrid workshops, he became foreman at the famous Manuel Ramírez workshop, where he worked alongside Domingo Esteso and Modesto Borreguero. In 1912, the young Andrés Segovia received from Manuel Ramírez a guitar that had in fact been built by Santos. Through Segovia's performances, its remarkable sound introduced the modern Spanish guitar to concert audiences throughout Europe.

After Manuel Ramírez died in 1916, Santos established his own workshop at 27 Calle Aduana, Madrid in 1920. There he developed guitars renowned for their exceptional projection, tonal balance, clarity, and rich, concentrated sound, setting new standards for the concert guitar after Antonio de Torres.

As Santos left no direct apprentice, Matilde entrusted the workshop to Marcelo Barbero I (1904–1956), formerly a craftsman in the workshop of José Ramírez II. Guided by Matilde, Barbero studied Santos's unfinished instruments, workshop forms, construction techniques, and acoustic concepts, preserving the master's tradition while laying the foundation for his own celebrated style. During this period, Fernando Solar also built guitars under the Viuda de Santos Hernández label, while Barbero's work can be identified by his printed name on the label or his handwritten signature inside the guitar.

Instrument Description

An exceptionally rare 1944 Viuda de Santos Hernández Flamenco Blanca by Marcelo Barbero I. Besides Barbero's printed name on the original label, the guitar bears his handwritten signatures beneath the soundboard and on the heel block, confirming its authenticity.

Completed only one year after the death of Santos Hernández, this guitar was built during the earliest stage of Barbero's stewardship of the workshop and may even incorporate work begun by Santos himself. The soundboard faithfully follows Santos's original bracing design and clearly represents the prototype of the system Barbero would later adopt in his own independent guitars.

The soundboard features one harmonic bar above and one below the soundhole, the lower bar being set at a slight diagonal. Between them is a thin rectangular reinforcing plate surrounding the soundhole. The lower bout employs five broad, low-profile fan braces arranged almost parallel beneath the bridge, together with two widely spaced closing bars supporting only the outermost braces. The body resonance is tuned to just below F.

This deceptively simple yet highly distinctive bracing pattern was later carried into Barbero's own work and ultimately influenced Arcángel Fernández. It produces an immediate attack, remarkable responsiveness, a dense, focused tonal core, and excellent sustain.

After more than eighty years of natural aging, this Flamenco Blanca possesses extraordinary maturity and character. The sound is warm yet brilliantly focused, with deep body resonance, exceptional clarity, fast response, and the singing, fluid quality expected from the finest historic flamenco guitars. It stands as an outstanding testament to the artistic legacy shared by Santos Hernández and Marcelo Barbero.

As expected of a professional flamenco guitar of this age, the instrument has undergone a number of expertly executed crack repairs. Repairs are present on the soundboard, ribs, back, and rear of the headstock. The guitar has also been refinished in French polish, and the golpeador was replaced during the process. As a result, it remains remarkably clean for its age. The neck is straight, the frets are in excellent condition, and the slim D-shaped neck provides comfortable playability. Current string action measures 2.7 mm (1st string) and 3.2 mm (6th string) at the 12th fret, with approximately 0.0–0.5 mm of saddle remaining.