Vicente Carrillo　[ビセンテ・カリージョ] model Cañizares　CV-SP/16

Product Description

Neck:Cedro
Fingerboard:Ebony
Finish(Top):Polyurethan
Finish(Back & Sides):Polyurethan
Tuning Machines:Unknown
String Height(1st):2.5mm
String Height(6th):3.2mm

［Profile］
Vicente Carrillo Casas (b. 1963) is a guitar maker based in Casasimarro, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, and the seventh generation of his family’s guitar-making tradition. According to the maker’s official history, the family tradition dates back more than 270 years to Alfonso Anselmo Alarcón, who was documented as a guitar maker in Casasimarro in the mid-18th century. Vicente Carrillo took over the family business in 1983 and has continued its long-established tradition while developing the workshop and its instruments for the modern market.

The Carrillo family has received numerous awards and distinctions. Vicente Carrillo Casas was awarded the Regional Craftsmanship Prize of Castilla-La Mancha in 2009 and the National Craftsmanship Prize of Spain in 2010. In 2011, he also received the Gold Medal of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cuenca. He was awarded the title of Master Craftsman of Castilla-La Mancha in 2022.

The family’s reputation was already well established in the early 20th century. Vicente Carrillo López (1881–1962) received recognition at the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition in Seville, where Queen Victoria Eugenia, wife of King Alfonso XIII, reportedly showed interest in one of his guitars and received it as a gift.

Today, Vicente Carrillo produces classical, flamenco, and signature Cañizares guitars, combining traditional craftsmanship with modern construction methods. His instruments have been used by prominent musicians including Paco de Lucía, Tomatito, Juan Manuel Cañizares, and Yamandú Costa.

［Instrument Information］
This is a 2018 Vicente Carrillo Cañizares Model CV-SP/16, a used flamenco blanca with a solid spruce top and solid cypress back and sides. The Cañizares series was developed jointly by Vicente Carrillo and Juan Manuel Cañizares. According to the maker, their collaboration began after Cañizares performed Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the Berlin Philharmonic in 2011 and sought an instrument capable of combining characteristics of both flamenco and classical guitars.

The current Cañizares range includes the Estudio Granadillo, Estudio Ciprés, Maestro Blanca, Estudio India, and Maestro Negra models. The present instrument predates the current catalog and corresponds closely to the concept of the present Maestro Blanca, although its exact historical model designation is CV-SP/16 Cañizares. The current Maestro Blanca is described by Vicente Carrillo as a fully handmade concert-level flamenco guitar developed according to Cañizares’ specifications.

The present guitar features a cedar neck, ebony fingerboard, lacquer finish, and Alessi tuning machines. It has a 650 mm scale length, and the string height at the 12th fret is 2.6 mm on the 1st string and 3.1 mm on the 6th string. Its body weight is approximately 1.62 kg.

The instrument is in very good overall used condition, with no major history of cracks or modifications. There are some minor playing marks around the fingerboard edges and golpeador, but the neck and frets remain in good condition. The neck has a slim, relatively flat D-shaped profile, providing a compact and comfortable feel.

The guitar offers a quick response and clear, balanced flamenco character, with the combination of traditional Spanish construction and Carrillo’s modern approach providing a highly practical instrument for performance.